Sheena Murder: Maha DGP Orders Probe Against Four Policemen
The Quint brings you live updates on Sheena Bora’s murder case
Indrani Mukerjea along with a few others allegedly caused a deliberate loss of Rs 168 crores to INX media’s news channel News X.
The Serious Fraud Investigation Office’s branch in Mumbai has filed a report with the Director of the agency in Delhi. The investigators of the Sheena Bora murder are now looking into the investigation because it brings out revealing details with regard to the alleged financial bungling in the case.
The police have reason to believe that the motive behind Sheena’s murder may have something to do with a financial dispute between her and Indrani, reports India Today.
Day 4: Raigad Police Being Probed, 2nd Passport Angle, Sheena’s Warning to Peter
1. A probe against the former SP of Raigad, RD Shinde, and three other policemen for dereliction of duty in relation to the Sheena Bora Murder case was ordered by the DGP of Maharashtra, CNN IBN reported.
2. Peter Mukerjea told investigators that Sheena had warned him on several occasions that her mother was hiding far too many things from him. He refused to be questioned alongside Indrani and her driver at Khar Police Station, instead gave a written statement. (Mumbai Mirror)
3. Rahul Mukerjea has reportedly told the police that Sheena’s passport is in his possession. He also said that Indrani used to throw a fit when he asked her how Sheena could have gone to the US when he had her passport. (Mumbai Mirror)
4. The bones and skeletal remains have been sent for forensic analysis, the police is awaiting its report. JJ Hospital handed over the bones – it had received from Raigad Police in 2012 – to the Khar police.
5. Times Now reports that Sanjeev Khanna, Indrani’s ex-husband, corroborated the sequence of events narrated by Mikhail Bora, Sheena’s brother. Mikhail had said that he was in Mumbai on the day of the murder and that his drink was spiked by his mother Indrani Mukerjea.
6. FIR says that Indrani and Sanjeev Khanna hatched a criminal conspiracy. They kidnapped Sheena, Indrani strangled her. The following day the body was taken to Raigad and disposed off.
7. Current Raigad SP Suvez Haque says that a probe has been ordered into why no case was registered when the body was recovered.
8. Sheena Bora’s car has been traced by the police. It was sold to a dealer at a cheap price, claim the police.
The DGP of Maharashtra has ordered a probe against the former SP of Raigad, RD Shinde, and three other policemen for dereliction of duty in relation to the Sheena Bora Murder case, reports CNN IBN.
One of the policemen who was allegedly responsible for the ‘cover up’ in 2012 is being questioned and has been ‘ducking’ questions, reports Times Now.
NDTV reports that the Mumbai Police will do a reconstruction of the crime scene with all three accused.
Rahul Mukerjea has told the Mumbai Police that Indrani told him Sheena had flown to the US on a new passport, when he confronted her that Sheena’s passport was in his possession. This was reported by Times Now.
TV reports say, police have traced the car in which Sheena Bora was murdered. The reports also say this car was sold to a dealer at a cheap price.
Related Story:
Shouldn’t Police Question Peter Mukerjea too?
While Peter Mukerjea may claim that he was unaware of the relationship between Indrani and Sheena, whom he believed was his second wife’s sister rather than daughter, and has presented himself as a victim of the machinations of his spouse, there is ample evidence to suggest that he has changed his statements to the media on several critical points.
Raigad SP Tells Their Side of the Story
Suvez Haque, the current Raigad Superintendent of Police, held a press conference where he gave information about the police action after they had found a semi-burnt body in the area in 2012.
On 23 May 2012, one of the eye witnesses observed a human carcass which was partially burnt.
The officers of the concerned sub division visited the spot and prepared an inquest. After that statements of those witnesses were taken.
No case of murder or accidental death was registered by Raigad police at the time. Some samples of bones etc were collected and sent to JJ Hospital.
The Raigad police did not receive any report from the hospital, nor did they seek one from the hospital.
Yesterday, IG (Konkan Range) had ordered for a report on the various aspects of the case. This inquiry will be finished as soon as possible and the report will be submitted.
We are helping Mumbai police in their investigation. The documents in our possession have been given to Mumbai police.
Did Mikhail Forge Sheena’s Signature?
According to reports by The Telegraph, Sheena Bora’s brother Mikhail sent Sheena’s resignation letter to her employers 13 days after her death.
The report also claimed that Mikhail wrote to Sheena’s landlord asking for the lease of her house to be cancelled. The report in The Telegraph quotes a senior police officer who said:
- Not just the letter of resignation, Mikhail also sent a letter to Sheena’s landlord in Mumbai in July 2012, canceling the lease of the rental apartment.
- He posted a picture of his mother Indrani on Sheena’s Facebook page on February 11, 2014.
- Sheena’s LinkedIn profile was kept in operation by Mikhail till two weeks ago.
- The resignation letter was sent to her employers on May 7, 2012, and the letter to her landlord sometime in July 2012.
- Mikhail had said that he knew Sheena’s social media and internet passwords and they trusted each other completely.
Details of the Crime Revealed in the FIR
CNN-IBN reports that this is what the First Information Report (FIR) says:
- Indrani Mukerjea, her driver Shyam Rai and her ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna had hatched a criminal conspiracy to murder Sheena Bora.
- On April 23, 2012 they found a deserted place. Indrani Mukerjea had informed Sanjeev Khanna about the plan and booked a room in Mumbai’s Hilltop hotel.
- On the day of the murder between 6:30 pm and 7:30 pm the accused kidnapped Sheena and strangled her to death. Following that the body was put in the bag and placed in the boot of the car.
- The next day Sheena’s body was taken to Raigad where it was disposed off.
Indrani Mukerjea, her driver Shyam Rai and her ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna have been named in the FIR filed by Mumbai police.
All three accused are currently at the Khar police station for further questioning.
Sheena Bora’s skeletal remains are being tested at the moment. DNA samples of Indrani Mukerjea and Mikhail Bora have been sent for cross checking.
Times Now reports that a probe has been ordered against the then Raigad SP RD Shinde.
Shinde had allegedly stopped the identification process of Sheena’s body in 2012.
Sanjeev Dayal, DG of Maharashtra tells CNN-IBN that the facts into the case are being looked at.
Times Now reports that Sanjeev Khanna, Indrani’s ex-husband, corroborated the sequence of events narrated by Mikhail Bora, Sheena’s brother.
Mikhail had said that he was in Mumbai on the day of the murder and that his drink was spiked by his mother Indrani Mukerjea.
Sanjeev Khanna has also allegedly confessed that there was a plan with Indrani to kill Mikhail.
All the three accused arrested in the Sheena Bora murder case – Indrani Mukerjea, her driver Shyam Rai and her ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna – have been brought to Khar police station.
Times Now reports that they could be taken to Pen village in Raigad where Sheena’s body was disposed off after the murder.
CNN-IBN reports that Indrani Mukerjea has been taken to Santa Cruz police station. She was in Khar police station since the time of the arrest on Tuesday.
Indrani’s ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna has been taken to Khar police station a few moments back.
She was questioned several times since the arrest by Mumbai police commissioner Rakesh Maria himself.
The focus in the high-profile Sheena Bora murder case has now shifted to the forensic analysis of the skeletal remains found in Raigad district, where her body was allegedly dumped three years ago.
The bones and skeletal remains have been sent for forensic analysis, the police is awaiting its report.
JJ Hospital handed over the bones – it had received from Raigad Police in 2012 – to the Khar police.
We have recovered skeletal remains of Sheena Bora. We will be dispatching the remains for a DNA test.
– Rakesh Maria, Commissioner of Police, Mumbai
Sanjeev Khanna’s friend Ajay Rawla (from whose residence Khanna was arrested) told The Times of India that Indrani Mukerjea lured Khanna to Mumbai by saying she would let him meet their daughter Vidhie.
Vidhie was Sanjeev’s weakness. He was never allowed access to his own daughter, or given visitation rights to her.
– Ajay Rawla, Sanjeev Khanna’s Friend
Khanna’s friend added that he had hinted at Mikhail Bora’s being in Mumbai at the same time in April 2012.
Sanjeev had never seen Mikhail before and said that the place where he met Indrani, he found this ‘heavyset guy sleeping on the couch’. On asking Indrani, she told him that he was her brother.
Khanna had earlier been remanded in police custody till August 31 by the Bandra Metropolitan Magistrate court.
Mikhail Bora, brother of Sheena, told the police on Friday that Indrani Mukerjea, his mother, tried to kill him on the same day that she murdered Sheena.
She had called him to her Mumbai home and spiked his drink, but he fled just in time.
Read the full report here.
The Mumbai Mirror reports that;
Peter Mukerjea told investigators that Sheena had warned him on several occasions that her mother was hiding far too many things from him. He refused to be questioned alongside Indrani and her driver at Khar Police Station, instead gave a written statement
Peter added that he regrets not taking his son Rahul seriously when he complained about Indrani’s aggressive behaviour, days before Sheena disappeared.
Rahul Mukerjea has reportedly told the police that Sheena’s passport is in his possession. He also said that Indrani used to throw a fit when he asked her how Sheena could have gone to the US when he had her passport.
Rahul also claims he got engaged to Sheena in 2011 in Dehradun.
Bone samples, suspected to be Sheena’s, lay unclaimed at JJ Hospital for 3 years. The police apparently didn’t collect the evidence despite reminders from JJ, says the hospital dean.
What We Know So Far
- Sanjeev Khanna, Indrani Mukerjea’s ex-husband, has confessed to being complicit to the crime. Sheena’s passport was also recovered from Dehradun, nailing the lie that she had gone to the United States for higher education. [HT]
- Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria is seeking to complete the probe into the Sheena Bora murder case as early as possible and may even file the chargesheet in a record 33 days. [TOI]
- In his statement to the Mumbai Police, Sheena Bora’s brother — Mikhail Bora — stated that his mother Indrani Mukerjea, had tried to kill him on the same day as Sheena. She had called him to her Mumbai home and spiked his drink but he fled just in time, he said in his statement to the police. [TOI]
- Peter Mukerjea, Indrani Mukerjea’s husband, was planning a re-entry into the media business in India having wound up his activities abroad. He had also reportedly stated that his marital relationship with Indrani was strained. [The Quint]
- Senior journalist Vir Sanghvi has stated that Indrani Mukerjea had once told him that she was molested by her stepfather — Upendra Kumar Bora. He also claimed that Indrani had introduced Sheena as her step-sister from the same stepfather. Sanghvi also stated that it was unlikely that Peter Mukerjea was not in the know about Indrani’s activities. [India Today]
LIVE Reports of the Sheena Bora Murder Case
Take a look at the LIVE updates of the case on The Quint as the mystery unfolded. Don’t miss the exclusive reports.
Day 1: Sheena Murder Case: Employment Records Show She Resigned in May
Day 2: Indrani had Mails Sent on Sheena’s Behalf; Sanjiv Enroute Mumbai
Day 3: Rakesh Maria: Sanjeev Khanna Confessed Complicity in the Crime
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