Mihir Shah, the 24-year-old accused in the Mumbai BMW hit-and-run case, changed his appearance to throw the police off his trail, the prosecution told a court on Wednesday. Shah was later remanded to police custody till July 16.
The prosecution said Mihir Shah had committed a cruel, heartless crime, and they wanted to find out who helped him evade arrest for two days.
Shah was arrested on Tuesday, two days after his BMW car rammed a scooter. 45-year-old Kaveri Nakhwa died in the accident.
Mihir Shah’s arrest: What happened in court today?
The prosecution told the court there were discrepancies in the statements of Mihir Shah and his driver and co-accused, Raj Bidawat.
The police also said that the number plate of the car – which had allegedly been discarded by Mihir Shah – was still missing.
The police said Mihir Shah shaved his beard and cut his hair to prevent detection and arrest. They said it was necessary to find out who helped him change his look, the prosecution said.
The police claimed Mihir Shah didn’t cooperate during the investigation and gave misleading information.
Shah’s lawyers, Ayush Pasbola and Sudhir Bhardwaj claimed the number plate may have fallen off during the accident.
Mihir’s father, Shiv Sena leader Rajesh Shah, was arrested for helping his son. He is out on bail.
Their driver is in the police’s remand till July 11.
Girlfriend’s role emerges
Meanwhile, NDTV reported that Mihir Shah spoke to his girlfriend 40 times after the accident, before abandoning the car. He hailed an auto and went to her house. She may also be questioned.
Eknath Shinde reacts to accident
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday removed Rajesh Shah as deputy leader of the Shiv Sena.
The action came a day after Pradeep Nakhwa, the husband of the hit-and-run case victim, alleged that Shiv Sena would do nothing as the accused is their leader’s son.
Eknath Shinde said the guilty won’t be spared. He said the government stands with the victim of the accident.
“Whoever is guilty will not be spared; strict action will be taken against them. We stand by the family of the victim. We will provide legal and financial support to the aggrieved family. We will give them ₹10 lakh from the CM’s Relief Fund. They are from our family,” he added.
With inputs from PTI
