The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Cops: Mihir admitted he was driving; changed appearance
Shinde Sena sacks his father Rajesh Shah from post
DAY AFTER he was arrested in the BMW hit- and- run case in Worli that claimed the life of 45- yearold Kaveri Nakhwa on July 7, the Worli police investigating the case said that the main accused, Mihir Shah, son of Shiv Sena leader Rajesh Shah, has confessed to being behind the wheels of the car at the time of the accident.
According to police, 23- yearold Mihir claimed that he fled the spot as he was afraid of consequences. They also said he shaved off his beard and cut his hair to hide his identity.
A senior police officer claimed that the two main accused — Mihir Shah and his driver Rajrishi Bidawat — have given contradictory statements and that they need to confront them and verify through technical evidence.
“We have to confront the two accused — Bidawat and Mihir, face- to- face as there is a lot of discrepancy between the facts stated by them due to which it is necessary to conduct a thorough interrogation and confront them,” read police’s remand application.
Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde Wednesday sacked Rajesh Shah from the post of deputy leader of Shiv Sena’s Palghar unit. “As per the orders of Shiv Sena chief leader Eknath Shinde, Rajesh Shah of Palghar has been relieved from the post of deputy leader ( Palghar),” the order signed by Sena secretary Sanjay More said.
Shah was arrested from Virar on Tuesday. On Wednesday, police produced him before court, following which sent him to police custody till July 16.
“He went into hiding when we had his latest picture in which he had a fully grown beard. So to mislead us and also to evade arrest, he shaved off his beard and also got a hair cut assuming that we would not be able to recognise him,” said an officer adding they would record the statement of the barber as well.
Police have so far recorded statements of around 14 people, including witnesses.
On Sunday, Mihir rammed his BMW car into a two- wheeler on which Pradip Nakhwa and his wife Kaveri were travelling. Kaveri was killed while Pradip was injured. After the accident, Shah switched seat with driver Rajrishi Bidawat, police said.
Shinde announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for family of Kaveri Nakhwa. “All legal or financial support will be provided to the family of the victim by the government,” he said.
Seeking Mihir’s custody, police told the court that the accused has not been cooperating and they need to recover the number plate and seize his phone. “We also want to understand exact locations where Mihir was hiding,” police told the court.
Defence lawyer Aayush Pasbola argued that shaving off beard and cutting his hair cannot be a ground for asking his custody and told the court the two accused have already been confronted and their stories have aligned.