23 year-old accused in BMW hit-and-run case tries to flee to Dubai: Arrested in Hyderabad airport

Keith Salome Menezes, the 23-year-old prime suspect in the BMW hit-and-run case in Mumbai was arrested by Mumbai Police from Hyderabad Airport on Saturday. Keith was fleeing to Dubai when the arrest happened. Mumbai Police has issued a lookout circular, which derailed his plan.

In the early hours of August 29, a resident of Thane Harry Bastian was hit by a speeding BMW sedan on a flyover on Western Express Highway in Kandivli. Harry was riding a scooter and he flung off the bridge and fell on the road below. He died on the spot. On the same day, an unknown person got the BMW car to a garage in Andheri to fix its damaged fender.

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After mid-day published the pictures of the BMW car with damage on the front left side, Keith Salome Menezes did not return to his home.

Keith left the spot after the accident and left his car in a high-end garage. The police could not trace the BMW since the registration plate of the vehicle was unreadable in the CCTV footage. When the owner of the high-end garage spotted the article, he realised that the car parked in his garage for repair might be the same vehicle. When the garage owner reported the same to the police station, they did not take any action.

The police thought that this was a Skoda car and not a BMW. However, the eyewitnesses who took 32-year-old Harry Bastian to the hospital saw the vehicle and confirmed that it was a BMW.

Accused had 22 challans for speeding and rash driving

Keith Menezes is said to have no less than 22 challans for speeding and rash driving.

Arrested while trying to flee India

Joint Commissioner of Mumbai Police (Law and Order) Vishwas Nangre-Patil told mid-day that Keith Menezes was detained at the airport itself. One team of Mumbai Police was flown to Hyderabad for completing the arrest procedure. Keith Menezes was about to board a flight for Dubai. However, he was detained at 4:30 AM on Saturday. Menezes was produced in court but was let go since it is a bailable offence.

The police have also mentioned that there are many pending challans against the car for speeding. It remains unknown how the case will develop in the future. However, since it is a bailable offence, the police may take other action like scanning the bank accounts for signs of alcohol purchase. The incident happened in August and police did not get any breakthrough. After the victim’s family approached mid-day, the journalists started an investigation of their own and helped the police with evidence.

When mid-day tried to contact Keith earlier, he told the newspaper, “My car got damaged in Borivli in the first week of August and I visited the garage in the second week of last month,”

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