An update on the July 7th Worli Hit-And-Run case revealed that the blood and urine samples of the 23-year-old Mihir Shah were negative indicating that he did not consume alcohol. However, statements from a bar owner say otherwise.
The Accident
On July 7th, Mihir Shah, the son of a, now suspended, member of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena faction, was accused in a Hit-And-Run case in Worli, Mumbai, after his BMW collided with a two-wheeler, injuring a man and killing his wife. The couple was identified as Pradeep Nakhwa, 50 and Kaveri Nakhwa, 45.
The impact of the car on the two-wheeler was severe as the latter was overturned, causing the couple to be thrown onto the bonnet of the BMW. Pradeep managed to escape with injuries as he threw himself off the bonnet but Kaveri was “trapped under the front wheel.” Pradeep said to a news agency that he tried to stop the sedan by “banging the bonnet” but the driver did not stop. The Mumbai police then revealed that Kaveri was dragged for more than two kilometres, towards the west end of the sea link after which Mihir Shah switched seats with his driver, Rajrishi Bidawat, who has become a co-accused in the Hit-And-Run case. Police state that Shah removed Kaveri’s “body from underneath the engine bay and the bumper, and left the body on the road.” CCTV footage also indicates that Bidawat ran over the victim’s body before the car was out of sight for the security cameras.
Despite being taken to the hospital immediately, Kaveri succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead upon arrival.
After the incident, Shah and Bidawat abandoned the BMW in Bandra while the former took a different car and went to Borivali.
Also read: https://test.inpactimes.com/mumbai-bmw-hit-run-suspect-mihir-shah-still-untraceable-father-receives-bail/
Statements VS Alcohol Test
The police reports at the time stated that Shah was “heavily drunk” while driving the luxury sedan. The usual protocol in the cases of suspected drunk driving cases is to administer alcohol tests but it couldn’t be followed in the case of Mihir Shah as he was on the run for two days in order to avoid his arrest. However, even after his arrest, the administration of the alcohol tests did not have any weightage as they are not considered effective 12 hours after the last drink. The delay in Shah’s arrest was enough time for all the alcohol in his system to get flushed out, hence providing a negative result for the alcohol test reports that were received yesterday by the Worli police.
Mihir Shah and his friends were partying at a Juhu bar hours before his BMW collided with the Nakhwa’s two-wheeler. An article by NDTV states that Shah and his friends spent Rs, 18,730 before he sat in the driver’s seat of the BMW. There is CCTV evidence of Shah and his friends at the bar. The now sealed, bar stated that they were provided with a fake ID which claimed that Shah was 27 years old as the legal drinking age in Maharashtra is 25. Police sources told the news agency that the accused even had a second round of drinks. A bar owner from Malad also claimed that Shah had picked up beer from him as well.
During the initial round of questioning, the accused denied having alcohol but he later admitted to extensively consuming alcohol in two phases before the incident.
Arrest and Impact of the Alcohol Test
Mihir Shah was arrested on 9th July, two days after the incident. The investigating officer from Worli stated, “We were not likely to get much,” indicating that they expected a negative alcohol test report considering the delay in the accused’s arrest. However, they have strong evidence against the 23-year-old as he confessed to being drunk, which has been caught on video.
A forensic report indicating that he was drunk would have been essential in ensuring justice for the deceased Kaveri Nakhwa and her family. However, now the police would have to rely on circumstantial evidence when they present this case in court. Mihir Shah is still in judicial custody.
