A friend’s ‘small mistake’ led police to the location of Mihir Shah, arrested in Virar

The Shah family decided to escape to a resort in Shahapur, located in Thane district.

Bombay: Mumbai Police have tracked down and nabbed Mihir Shah, the prime accused in the Mumbai BMW hit-and-run case, after two days of meticulous investigation. The location of Mihir Shah, son of a Shiv Sena politician, was traced when his friend switched on his mobile phone for just 15 minutes.

Advertising

Advertising

Twenty-four-year-old Mihir, who had been evading police since the accident on Sunday morning, was finally arrested in Virar, near Mumbai.

The luxury BMW, allegedly driven by Mihir, collided with a two-wheeler from behind in the Worli area of ​​south-central Mumbai on Sunday morning. The collision resulted in the death of 45-year-old Kaveri Nakhwa, who was riding pillion, while her husband Pradeep was injured.

According to police, Mihir Shah fled from Kala Nagar area, leaving behind his car and driver and took a rickshaw to his friend’s house in suburban Goregaon. The friend contacted Mihir’s sister, who came to Goregaon and then shifted Mihir and his friend to her own residence in Borivali, a senior police official said.

The Shah family later decided to escape to a resort in Shahapur, located in Thane district, travelling in an Audi. Mihir, along with his mother Meena, sisters Kinjal and Pooja and two friends, took shelter at the resort.

Upon discovering the identity of one of Mihir’s friends, the Mumbai police tried to trace his phone number. However, this individual had also switched off his mobile phone, according to the official.

On Monday evening, Mihir and his friend left the Shahapur resort and reached Virar. There, his friend activated his mobile phone for 15 minutes. Police quickly traced the location of the mobile phone tower and arrested the two, the official said.

As for Mihir’s whereabouts before the accident, the official said that Mihir Shah, after socialising with friends at a bar in Juhu, left with his driver for south Mumbai early in the morning. Around 4.30 am, he was seen driving his BMW along Marine Drive, with his driver, Rajrushi Bidawat, sitting beside him.

When the vehicle reached Worli, the car collided with the two-wheeler and killed Kaveri Nakhwa.

(With PTI inputs)