Mihir Shah, a product of suburbia’s newly-acquired affluence?
On Wednesday, the Sewri magistrate’s court remanded the 23-year-old accused to police custody till July 16
Mumbai: Mihir Rajesh Shah, the accused in the recent BMW hit-and-run case, continues to be an enigma in upscale Royal Complex, the tree-lined enclave in Borivli West where the Shahs own a three-BHK apartment on the 18th floor overlooking the bustling Borivli town.
On Wednesday, the Sewri magistrate’s court remanded the 23-year-old accused to police custody till July 16.
Locals in the neighbourhood remember Mihir as an average young boy with no claim to academic excellence or grooming. “Mihir was not academically oriented. He hardly met anyone from the building and always wore a grim expression. He was known to be away from home through the day, looking after his father’s construction company. Evenings however were set aside for close friends,” said a resident on condition of anonymity.
“Mihir loves late night parties, fine dining and long drives,” said a tenant of the state-funded SRA building which stands cheek-by-jowl with Shah’s Raj Shree—1 apartment, in Royal Complex. Shah’s neighbours refuse to go on record as they fear his political clout and wealth.
A local retailer said Mihir loved to display his cars and sunglasses. “He is the classic example of an entitled kid,” he said. Others expressed, “as the family has tonnes of money the case will lose steam and public memory is short”.
The Kolis (fishermen) from the nearby Eksar village however feel Mihir ought to get the severest punishment for the mishap which led to the death of Kaveri Nakhwa, while her husband Pradeep suffered injuries. The Nakhwas belong to the Koli community known for its grit and perseverance.
The Shahs belong to the Kutchi Jain community of Gujarat. The family migrated to Maharashtra three decades ago and settled in Mahim-Kelve in Palghar district. Shah teamed up with his two brothers to tap the construction market which had begun to boom in and around the sea-swept district.
“Rajesh Shah worked his way up as builder. He befriended several Palghar politicians who helped him come up in life. A smart operator, Shah loosened his purse strings for local ‘netas’ thus projecting his fund-raiser image. It is in Palghar that Shah learnt the tricks of the trade,” said a local developer.
The Shiv Sena, then undivided and in need of a poster boy in Palghar to take on the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi, helmed by the powerful Thakur clan, handpicked Shah for the job. However, following the 2022 split in the Shiv Sena, Shah crossed over to CM Shinde’s Shiv Sena.
“Back then Mahim-Kelve was abuzz with allegations that the Shah brothers were involved in many nefarious activities, including smuggling. One of three brothers is said to have died a suspicious death,” the local developer said.
The Shah family relocated to Borivali in the late 1990s but not before earning a pot of gold in Palghar. “The two brothers ruled the construction scene with an iron hand, not letting even a small developer raise his head. Even today the Shahs run a construction firm in Palghar,” he added. So strong are Rajesh’s Palghar connections that in the construction sector he is known as Rajesh ‘Palghar’, those in the know said.
A senior Shiv Sena functionary said the hit-and-run case may be an embarrassment for the party during the upcoming state assembly elections. “The Nakhwa couple lives in the koli village of Worli, which is Aditya Thackeray’s assembly pocket borough. However, Rajesh Shah will eventually survive in the Shiv Sena, even flourish as he is awash with cash. Money is the mantra in politics.”
While his father is a Shiv Sainik, Mihir is not enamoured of politics and politicians, and “is indulged by the family, including his two sisters Pooja and Kinjal”. Following the accident on Sunday, after Mihir took shelter in his girlfriend’s house in Goregaon, Pooja helped him escape to Virar, eventually aided by their mother Meenal and other sister Kinjal.
Nearly a week after the accident, the security guard at Raj Shree-1 said, “No one has been seen stepping in or out of Rajeshsaab’s flat.”
The Mihir mayhem was waiting to happen, said writer and social activist Ramesh Oza. The construction boom in Borivali in the early 2000 saw the rise of a new class of builders who believe in displaying their wealth and political heft, he said.
“The Dahisar-Borivali-Kandivli stretch boasts swanky eateries, pubs and dazzling jewellery outlets, but not a good library, cultural centre or art gallery. Wealth has triggered conspicuous consumption and craving for fast life. Mihir Shah epitomises the darker side of the glitz and glitter of suburban Mumbai,” said Oza.
The tragedy has sent shock waves through the mercantile community. “The incident is a wake-up call for the business class -- we must inculcate discipline in the youth,” said Vinit Mehta, a young realtor.
