Gujarat: Repeat of Mumbai hit-and-run in Rajkot, 60-year-old woman dies, dragged for 1.5 km; accused absconding

A 60-year-old woman was killed in a hit-and-run incident on the outskirts of Gujarat's Rajkot on Thursday night, just days after a similar hit-and-run case in Mumbai. 

Police identified the victim as Vijyaben Bathwar, a rag picker. According to authorities, the driver of the vehicle dragged her for 1.5 kilometres. 

Vijayaben and her son Dinesh were returning home to Kankot village after picking up rags around 11:30 pm when the incident occurred, The Indian Express reported. A white car coming from the opposite direction struck Vijayaben, leaving her trapped beneath the vehicle. Dinesh ran after the car, crying for help, but it sped away towards Kalavad Road, said the report.

“We have information that the car driver dragged her for nearly 1.5 kilometres. An FIR has been registered in the matter. The car belongs to a person living in Dhoraji,” reported ANI quoting DCP Zone-2, Jagdish Bangarwa.

Bangarwa added that the police had impounded the car, and a search was underway to identify and locate the accused.

Earlier this week, Mumbai police arrested the BMW hit-and-run case accused Mihir Shah from Virar. He was absconding for two days after the car he was allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol hit a scooter in the Worli area of Mumbai on July 7, killing a woman.

Kaveri Nakhwa (45), was killed and her husband Pradip injured in the incident.

To get more information about the chain of events, a probe team of the police recreated the accident scene and also confronted Mihir Shah (24) with his family driver and co-accused Rajrishi Bidawat, who was in the car at the time of the horrific crash.

In a related development, Rajrishi Bidawat was produced before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (Sewree court) S P Bhosale at the end of his police remand on Thursday and sent to 14-day judicial custody.

According to the police, Bidawat swapped the driver's seat with Mihir Shah after the crash, allegedly on the instruction of Mihir's politician father, Rajesh Shah.

Rajesh Shah was also arrested, however, the court granted him bail the next day. Subsequently, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena removed Rajesh Shah from the post of deputy leader of the Palghar unit.

The accused persons have been booked under various sections, including 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Meanwhile, the Mumbai police also demolished a part of the bar where Mihir and his friends drank hours before the accident.