Exclusive/ Worli Hit-And-Run Victim Breaks Down, Says, 'Had Culprit Stopped, My Wife Would've Been Alive...'

Mumbai:  Pradip Nakhwa, while speaking exclusively to Republic, said Mihir Shah who allegedly knocked down his wife Kaveri Nakhwa (45) and injured him while the couple was on their two-wheeler in Mumbai’s Worli area Sunday morning, must be hanged to death.

"We Went Mad..."

An inconsolable Pradip told Republic, "We are fishermen so we wake up early morning and go to Crawford Market to buy fish to sell. We were coming from Peddar Road and were riding at 35 km/per hour that too from the corner of the road. Suddenly, a thunder sound came from behind and we went mad."

My Wife Came Under The Wheels, Says Pradip

He added, "We got flung in the air and fell on Shah's bonnet. After we fell on the bonnet, he forcefully applied the brake. I fell on the left side of the car while my wife came under the wheels."

"My Family Got Shattered In A Second"

Pradip said Shah allegedly Shah fled so quickly that the tyre of his car burst. He added, "I screamed, asking him to wait. In one second my family was shattered. My wife was everything for our family. He didn't even wait for a bit. He drove from Ceejay House and I followed him in a taxi for half a kilometre but I couldn't spot him. I then informed the cops."

"Had Driver Stopped, My Wife Could Have Been Alive..."

Pradip said had Shah waited, his wife could have been saved. He said, "She was alive then. She fell on my back when we got tossed in the air. My wife abused him, asking him to stop but he didn't. My wife was screaming in front of me. We got dragged; no one does this even to an animal."

My Wife Was Everything To Us: Pradip

Describing the details of the driver, Pradip said, "I saw the driver, he was lean and had a beard. He was driving so fast that he ended up dragging my wife for 4-5 km. All this episode will continue for a few days and then it will come to an end. We are poor and hence, no one will seek our whereabouts. No one cares about the poor. My kids have become orphans now. My wife was everything to us."

Pradip Demands Death Penalty For Accused

Pradip demanding a death penalty for the accused, said, "He must be hanged. If he can treat humans like animals, he has no right to live. Had the situation reversed, imagine the repercussions on me."

Mumbai Police Form 6 Teams to Nab Accused

Mumbai Police, on Monday, formed six teams to nab the 24-year-old son of a ruling Shiv Sena leader.

A Look Out Circular (LOC) has also been put out against Mihir, son of Rajesh Shah, a Shiv Sena leader from neighbouring Palghar district, the official said on Monday. 

The car dragged the woman for more than 2 km, the official said. She was rushed to a hospital where doctors declared her dead on arrival. After the accident, the official said that Mihir fled towards the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, leaving the car and his driver Rajrishi Bidawat, who was sitting next to him, at Kalanagar in Bandra. 

Rajesh Shah, who owns the car, and Bidawat were arrested on Sunday for allegedly helping Mihir escape after the accident, the official said. 

"As there is a possibility of Mihir Shah fleeing the country, police have issued an LOC against him," the official said. Police suspect that Mihir was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident as he was spotted at a bar in the Juhu area here a few hours before the incident, the official said. 

The police have also recovered the bar bill of Rs 18,000 and are verifying it, the official said without elaborating. The CCTV footage of the bar is also being examined, he said. The accused have been booked under various sections, including 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), according to the police.

Offspring of Ministers Will Not Have Any Immunity: CM Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena head Eknath Shinde on Monday said he has asked police to handle hit-and-run incidents involving powerful and influential persons with seriousness and ensure justice is served. 

In a statement, Shinde said he was deeply alarmed by the rise in hit-and-run incidents in Maharashtra. "It is intolerable that the powerful and influential misuse their status to manipulate the system. Such miscarriages of justice will not be tolerated by my government," he said.

“The lives of ordinary citizens are precious to us. I have directed the state police department to handle these cases with the utmost seriousness and ensure justice is served. 

We are implementing stricter laws with harsher penalties for hit-and-run offenders," Shinde said. No one, whether rich, influential, or the offspring of bureaucrats or ministers, affiliated with any party, will have immunity as long as he is the chief minister, Shinde said.

Hope Cops Act Swiftly: Thackeray

Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray, who represents the Worli assembly constituency, in a post on X on Sunday said, "I will not go into the political leanings of Shah, the accused of the hit and run, but I hope the police will act swiftly to catch the accused and bring him to justice. Hopefully, there will be no political refuge by the regime." (with PTI inputs)