Mihir Shah, the prime accused in the Mumbai BMW hit-and-run case, has confessed to being intoxicated at the time of the fatal accident. According to investigating officers from Worli police station, Shah consumed large amounts of alcohol in two phases before the crash, which occurred on Dr Annie Besant Road.
On Saturday night, Shah and three friends ordered 12 large pegs of Jack Daniels at Vice-Global Tapas Bar in Juhu-Tara Road. While three of them consumed four pegs each, one opted for Red Bull, resulting in a total bill of ₹ 18,730. Since one of the friends was a regular customer and 32 years old, alcohol was served to all, despite the legal drinking age in Maharashtra being 25.
Later, Shah dropped his friends home in his Mercedes. Upon reaching his residence in Borivali, he decided to take his BMW to Marine Drive with his driver, Rajrishi Bidawat. En route, they purchased four 500 ml cans of Budweiser Magnum and drank them while driving.
During the drive, Shah’s BMW crashed into a scooter, killing the pillion rider and injuring the scooterist. Shah has expressed remorse for the accident, telling police he did not realize the pillion rider was stuck under the car. He claims he assumed the noise he heard was from a broken wiper, unaware that the noise was caused by the deceased woman trapped beneath the vehicle.
However, police investigations reveal that Shah was very much aware of the situation. They state that the scooterist, Pradip Nakhwa, fell on the car’s bonnet, shattering the windshield. As Shah continued driving, the vehicle made noises, indicating the presence of the deceased woman.
Adding to the suspicion surrounding Shah’s actions, police have stated that he panicked and called his father after the accident. His father, shocked by the incident, instructed the driver to take the wheel. The deceased woman was removed and placed on the side of the road, but when the driver reversed, he ran over her legs again.
Further complicating the investigation, the driver has claimed he was not drunk at the time of the incident. Police have not found any beer cans in the car, and the destroyed number plate needs to be recovered for further investigation.
