Worli hit-and-run case: ‘We have lost faith in cops’

The Worli police have not yet applied charges of drunken driving against Mihir Shah, the accused in the Worli hit-and-run case, despite having sufficient "circumstantial evidence." The victim's family claims they have lost trust in the police, citing multiple investigative gaps, and are demanding that murder charges be added. They allege that Kaveri Nakhwa was deliberately run over by Rajrishi Bidawat, who was driving Shah's car.

Previously, the Worli police were criticised by the Bombay High Court for not providing a written justification for the arrest of the accused. These technical oversights could obstruct the case," said Pradeep Nakhwa, Kaveri's husband.

The BMW car that was involved in the hit-and-run. Pic/Shadab Khan

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Initially, the Worli police had stated that the case was being fast-tracked due to its severity. However, they have not clarified when the relevant charges will be added or when the charge sheet will be submitted to the Sewree Magistrate Court. "We are completely in the dark about the procedure, and they are not cooperating with us. We don't know when they will file the charge sheet," Pradeep added.

Advocate Ravi Jadhav, representing the victim's family said, "The police have added Section 105, which is culpable homicide not amounting to murder, but we want Section 103, which is murder, as well as the charges for drink and driving to be included," he said.

"At the time of the incident, the police said they had CCTV footage showing Bidawat running over my wife, so they should add the murder charge. Despite claiming to have circumstantial evidence, they have not added the drinking and driving charges. We have received no updates on the investigation and, due to these loopholes, we have lost faith in the police. We just want justice," Nakhwa added.

Earlier, the police had claimed they had evidence showing Shah was intoxicated during the incident, including receipts and beer cans. "We have CCTV footage and receipts to prove he was drunk, along with four empty beer cans," the police had stated. However, Shah's blood tests came back negative, as he was arrested 48 hours after the incident.

Talking to mid-day, DCP Zone 3 Krishnakant Updadhay said, "As of now, no new sections have been added to the FIR. We are still investigating the matter."

According to the police, these charges could still be included in the charge sheet. "We can add sections in the charge sheet based on the investigation," a source told mid-day.