BMW crash case: How did the Mumbai police track down accused Mihir Shah

Mumbai hit-and-run BMW case: Main accused Mihir Shah was taken into police custody on July 9 from Virar, two days after the incident occurred

The mobile phone of a friend of the primary suspect in the Mumbai BMW hit-and-run incident helped police locate Mihir Shah, who fled after running over a woman with his luxury vehicle on Sunday.

It took Mumbai Police three days to arrest the suspect as he, along with his mother and sisters, had switched off their mobile phones, news reports say.

A Mumbai court on Wednesday remanded Mihir Shah, the prime accused in the BMW hit-and-run case, in police custody till July 16.

Police were tracking the family members through their car number and had also placed Mihir’s friend’s phone number under surveillance.

The BMW hit couple Pradeep Nakhwa and Kaveri Nakhwa in Worli early on Sunday. The 24-year-old suspect was reportedly driving at the time, while his driver, Rajrishi Bidawat, was in the passenger seat. The woman was dragged for nearly 1.5 km.

Subsequently, Shah and Bidawat swapped seats, reversed the car, and ran over the woman again before speeding away. Shah had been missing since then.

Police traced Mihir Shah’s movements

Police said Mihir Shah abandoned the BMW near Kala Nagar in Bandra and headed to his girlfriend’s place in Goregaon in an autorickshaw. Upon arrival, the girlfriend informed his sister about the accident. The sister then came to pick him up, and they drove to their home in Borivali. From there, his family — Mihir’s mother Meena, and his two sisters, Puja and Kinjal —  along with his friend Avdeep, travelled to a resort in Shahpur, around 70 km from Mumbai.

Upon discovering the identity of one of Mihir Shah’s friends, the Mumbai Police traced his phone number, only to find that he had also turned off his mobile, according to an investigating official. On the evening of July 8, Mihir Shah and his friend left Shahapur resort for Virar, north of Mumbai.

How did the police arrest Mihir Shah?

On Monday night, Mihir Shah and one of his friends left the resort at Shahapur and came to Virar, around 65 km from Mumbai. His friend switched on his mobile phone for about 15 minutes, which was traced by the Mumbai police.

The police have taken 12 people in custody so far, including Shah’s mother and sisters.

Mihir Shah, the son of Rajesh Shah, who was the deputy leader of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s party in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, reportedly contacted his father following the crash. His father advised him to flee the scene. Rajesh Shah arrived at the location, intending to tow the BMW. However, a patrolling team, alerted by Kaveri Nakhwa’s husband, arrived at the scene and arrested both Rajesh Shah and the driver, Bidawat.

Rajesh Shah and Bidawat appeared before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (Sewree) SP Bhosale on Tuesday. Shah was remanded to 14-day judicial custody, while Bidawat received one-day police custody. Shah faced charges of allegedly providing false information and tampering with evidence. However, he was granted bail later that day.

[With agency inputs]