Worli hit-and-run case: The 15-minute lapse that nailed brat

Mihir Shah, the accused who is believed to have been under the influence of alcohol (right) the BMW on the premises of the Worli police station on July 9. Pic/Shadab Khan

Mumbai police on Tuesday arrested Mihir Shah, the absconding accused in the Worli BMW hit-and-run case and son of a ruling Shiv Sena politician, two days after he allegedly rammed his luxury car into a two-wheeler, killing a woman and injuring her husband. Police sources told mid-day that the use of a mobile phone by one of Shah's friends for 15 minutes helped them zero in on his location near Virar.

Police have withheld the identity of the friend but confirmed he was one of those accompanying the 23-year-old absconder Shah after the fatal road crash. According to police sources, Shah had downed pegs of Tennessee Whiskey Jack Daniel's at a pub along with his friends before the fatal crash. The authorities have sealed the pub because the bar served Shah alcohol for which the permissible age is at least 25 years.

Pradeep Nakhwa, the husband of the deceased, addresses the media at the Worli police station, on July 9. Pics/Shadab Khan

The absconder Shah was being aided by his family members, who had switched off their mobile phones to avoid being captured, and were using hired vehicles to move from one Thane resort to another. A senior Mumbai police officer told mid-day that one of Shah's friends, who was accompanying the absconder, switched on his phone near Virar Phata for 15 minutes on Tuesday morning, which alerted them.

Three-day manhunt!

Over three days, police teams were sifting through every clue to trace the accused, including tracking the licence plates of all their known cars. The police learned that Mihir, his mother, two sisters, and a friend were staying at a Shahpur resort. However, on Monday night, Mihir separated from his family and went to Virar. This morning, as soon as he turned on his friend's phone for 15 minutes, the police were able to locate him and subsequently arrested him.

Girlfriend called sister

According to the police, after the accident, Mihir abandoned the BMW near Kalanagar in Bandra and went to his girlfriend's house in Goregaon. The police said that 40 calls were exchanged between the couple. Upon learning the whole truth, the girlfriend called Mihir's sister, who then came to Goregaon and took Mihir to their home in Borivali. From there, the entire family, along with a friend, fled to Shahpur. They stayed at a resort there. The police have now detained Mihir's mother, Meena, his sisters, Pooja and Kinjal, and his friend Avdeep.

In court today

Additionally, the Crime Branch detained his family members in Murbad, Thane. Officials said they will produce Mihir in court today. Authorities are investigating the family's role in aiding Shah's escape, which prompted the manhunt. Also on Tuesday, the excise department sealed the Global Tapas Bar in Juhu for allegedly serving hard liquor to the accused and his friends without a permit.

The scooter damaged by the accused on Sunday morning

"The accused paid a bill of Rs 20,500. We don't know who drank how much, but the bill indicates that Jack Daniel's was served," said an excise department officer. The excise department has also written to the BMC seeking action against the bar having illegal shed outside the bar without permission. The police had formed around 12 teams to locate him, with the crime branch also working on the case.

Tough cookie driver

The police had earlier produced the driver Rajrishi Bidawat in court and demanded maximum custody. The court slammed the Worli police for lack of coordination between the public prosecutor and the police. The magistrate also questioned why an alcohol test was not conducted on Bidawat after the arrest, before granting custody till July 11.

According to the police, Bidawat had played an active role in the crime and had allegedly tried to mislead the police by not cooperating with them. "The accused has been working for the Shah family for a long time and knows a lot of Mihir's acquaintances. But he did not disclose any information to us," the police told the court. According to the police, they are yet to seize the number plate of the car.

‘Enough evidence'

The police have recorded statements of the bar owner, waiters and Shah's friends to prove that he was drunk on the night of the incident. "We have seized the bill, we have seized CCTV footage of the bar and recorded the statement of the bar owners, staff and his friends. And we have enough evidence to prove that he was drunk on the day of the incident," said a senior official from Worli police station.