Worli Hit-and-run: Accused Mihir Shah’s Blood Reports Negate Drunken Driving Claims, Cops In A Fix

The blood and urine samples of Mihir Shah, the 24-year-old accused in the hit-and-run case in Mumbai’s Worli involving a luxury BMW sedan, have tested negative for alcohol, negating the claims of drunken driving.

According to the forensic reports, no trace of alcohol has been found in the blood and urine samples of Shah despite reports of police sources claiming he was “heavily drunk” during the horrific collision. The latest development has put police in a fix.

In cases where drunk driving is suspected, the standard procedure is to conduct alcohol tests. However, these tests may be ineffective if conducted more than 12 hours after the last drink. Shah, whose father was affiliated with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s now-suspended Shiv Sena faction, managed to evade arrest for two days.

The police reported that Shah was apprehended approximately 58 hours after the incident, a delay that likely allowed any alcohol to clear from his system.

After his arrest, his blood and urine samples were sent for testing, and the report was received by the Worli police yesterday. A positive forensic report indicating that he was intoxicated would have bolstered the police’s case, but without it, they will now have to rely on circumstantial evidence in court.

Mihir Shah’s Arrest

Mihir Shah was arrested from Thane district, two days after he allegedly rammed his BMW car into a two-wheeler, killing a woman, Kaveri Nakhwa (45), who was riding pillion, and injuring her husband Pradeep in the early hours of Sunday (June 7).

After crashing into the couple’s scooter, Mihir Shah was very much aware that the woman was stuck in one of the tyres of the luxury car, but still he drove recklessly and did not stop though motorists passing by frantically signalled and shouted, asking him to halt, said a police official had said.

The horrific accident was captured in CCTV cameras of the police installed at Mela Junction and Bindu Madhav Thackeray Chowk in Worli.

After crossing Bindu Madhav Thackeray Chowk, other motorists asked Mihir Shah to stop the car, but he did not listen to them and continued driving, according to the official.

During interrogation, the accused, whose family chauffeur was sitting besides him, admitted that he was behind the wheel at the time of the crash, but did not tell the police from which point he started driving and till when, he said.