MUMBAI: The Worli police on Thursday filed a charge sheet in the BMW hit-and-run case involving Shiv Sena leader Rajesh Shah’s 24-year-old son, Mihir Shah, in which a 45-year-old woman was killed. The 716-page charge sheet, filed at a sessions court in Sewri, names Mihir Shah, Rajesh Shah and their driver, Rajrishi Bidawat, who was in the car when the incident took place, as the accused. The police said they have added charges of drunk driving against Mihir Shah, who was allegedly at the wheel when the BMW rammed into a two-wheeler in the early hours of July 7, killing pillion rider Kaveri Nakhawa and injuring her husband Pradeep Nakhawa, who was riding the scooter.
The police have added section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act, which penalises drunk driving, in the case against Mihir Shah. According to the police’s investigation, Shah had consumed alcohol at various places before the accident. While his blood sample tested negative for alcohol, the police said that was because he was arrested two days after the incident.
The drunk driving charge was added based on witness statements, CCTV footage and bills paid by the accused at a Malad bar where Shah allegedly purchased cans of beer. The police have cited 38 witnesses in the case against the trio, including those who witnessed the accident, the staff of establishments where Mihir Shah consumed alcohol, and police officers. Rajesh Shah, who was arrested on July 7 and granted bail the following day, has been accused of helpi.