Big Twist in Sheena Bora Murder, CBI Arrests Peter Mukerjea
CBI arrests Peter Mukerjea in the Sheena Bora murder case.
The Plot Thickens. Again.
Peter Mukerjea, husband of Indrani Mukerjea, the prime accused in the Sheena Bora murder case, was arrested earlier this evening by the CBI in Mumbai.
Times Now has reported that driver Shyamwar Rai, who is already in custody for complicity in the murder, revealed in a confession before the magistrate that he had overheard Indrani and Peter speaking about the conspiracy and that Peter was fully aware of the murder.
Peter was summoned for questioning and when confronted with information revealed by Rai, he had nothing to say.
Owing to the information revealed by Rai and the fact that the CBI felt the need for Peter’s custodial interrogation, he was placed under arrest by the CBI on charges of criminal conspiracy.
He is likely to be produced in a CBI court on Friday.
Mumbai Police Aware of Peter’s Complicity?
Times Now reports that Shyamwar Rai, Indrani’s driver, volunteered to confess in front of the CBI because he had lost faith in the Mumbai Police after they falsely implicated him under the Arms Act for possession of a desi katta, a country made handgun. He also accused the Mumbai police of feeding the media with false information that he had confessed to the Sheena Bora murder after his arrest.
It is also being reported by Times Now that the Mumbai Police was aware of Peter Mukerjea’s complicity to the murder from the start.
Driver’s Statement Got Peter Arrested
Times Now reports that Indrani Mukerjea’s driver Shyamwar Rai, who was arrested for complicity in the Sheena Murder case, confessed before a magistrate on Thursday and said that he had heard Indrani and Peter Mukerjea discuss Sheena’s murder. He also allgedly said that Peter was aware of the details of the conspiracy.
Peter was called in for questioning after that and when confronted with these details by the authorities he had no answer. Post that Peter was placed under arrest.
CBI Director to The Quint
Sheena Bora Murder Case: A Bloody Timeline
Sheena Bora was allegedly killed on April 24, 2012 and her body was disposed off in a jungle in Raigad district of Maharashtra. Here’s a timeline of how her case unfolded.
- Aug 21: Indrani’s driver Shaym Rai was arrested by Mumbai police for possession of illegal arms. During interrogation he revealed about Sheena Bora murder
- Aug 25: Indrani Mukerjea was arrested by Mumbai police
- Aug 26: Sanjeev Khanna, Indrani Mukerjea’s ex-husband was arrested in Kolkata
- Aug 27: Indrani Mukerjea and Peter Mukerjea’s son from first marriage Rahul were questioned by Mumbai police
- Aug 29: Indrani Mukerjea, Sanjeev Khanna and driver Shyam Rai were interrogated by Mumbai police
- Sept 1: Indrani’s first husband Siddharth Das comes out in public admits that he is the biological father of Sheena
- Sept 3: Mumbai Police claimed that Indrani Mukherjea confessed to her role in the murder of Sheena Bora
- Sept 18: Maharashtra government handed over Sheena Bora murder case to CBI
- Sept 29: CBI filed the first FIR in the Sheena Bora murder case and started investigation
- Nov 19: CBI filed chargesheet in the case, arrests Peter Mukerjea
Was Mumbai Police Soft on Peter?
Twin Angles to Peter’s Alleged Involvement
The Quint had earlier reported that there are possibly two angles to Peter Mukerjea’s alleged involvement in the murder.
One, Sheena Bora may have been murdered for carrying on a relationship with someone “very, very close to Indrani Mukerjea”. It is possible that the CBI believes that Peter is aware of the identity of this person.
Two, Sheena Bora may have been killed for her control over a very significant amount of money arising from the sale of INX Media a few years ago. As co-founder of INX, Peter Mukerjea stood to lose a large amount of money.
Twitter Slams Mukerjea After Arrest
More details coming in: Rahul Mukerjea, Peter Mukerjea’s son through an earlier marriage is also at the CBI office in Mumbai. However, he has not been arrested.
Also, Times Now is reporting that the CBI believes Peter Mukerjea destroyed evidence.
Peter Arrested for Criminal Conspiracy
The Quint is now able to confirm that Peter Mukerjea has been arrested on charges of Criminal Conspiracy and not murder. CBI sources tell us they feel that custodial interrogation is essential as they believe he is hiding some crucial information. He is also likely to be produced in a CBI court tomorrow.
The Quint First to Question Discrepancies in Peter’s Stand
On 29 August, The Quint questioned the Mumbai Police’s hesitation in arresting Peter Mukerjea, citing the “ample evidence to suggest that he has changed his statements to the media on several critical points.”
In another story, we reported that it stretched credulity that Peter Mukerjea claimed to not be in the know about the churn in their domestic life. The Mumbai police was investigating several angles to the Sheena Bora case. Our report cited that “the most proximate motive for her to murder her daughter Sheena Bora may have been a desperate need to safeguard her finances and prevent a certain element of personal life from going public.”
Lawyer Says He’s “Extremely Surprised”
Speaking to Arnab Goswami on Times Now, Mahesh Jethmalani, Peter Mukerjea’s lawyer said, “I had message at 7.40 PM on WhatsApp, he [Peter Mukerjea] didn’t say he was arrested. He said he was with a CBI officer and he couldn’t talk to me.”
Jethmalani further said he is extremely surprised about the arrest and that he isn’t aware of what the interrogation was about.
Who is Peter Mukerjea? A Refresher
Peter Mukerjea was the CEO of STAR India between 1999 and 2007. In 2007, he founded INX Media with wife Indrani Mukerjea. Two years later, the couple sold off their stake in INX Media. In 2002, Peter Mukerjea and Indrani Mukerjea married.
Peter Mukerjea Arrested in Mumbai
Peter Mukerjea, former CEO of Star India and founder of INX Media, has been arrested by the CBI. This, in connection with the murder of Sheena Bora, the daughter of his wife Indrani Mukerjea, who is already in custody.
Peter Mukerjea’s arrest is the fourth in the case. Other than Indrani Mukerjea, Sanjeev Khanna and Shyamvar Rai.
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