Sensational turn in case that is slowly unraveling.
By Dileep Thekkethil
The sensational Sheena Bora murder case in Mumbai took a sensational turn after the CBI today arrested media tycoon Peter Mukerjea, the husband of the main accused Indrani Mukerjea, in connection with the murder of the latter’s daughter.
According to a CBI spokesperson, Peter “has been arrested” after he failed to produce convincing answers during the interrogation held today.
The CBI spokesperson refused to reveal further details about the reason for the arrest, but sources in CBI told The Times of India that the investigation team believes that Peter is hiding many missing links that could further open the mystery behind the killing of Sheena Bora.
The investigation was handed over to the CBI after a rift formed between the ousted Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria and the new incumbent Ahmed Javed. According to sources, CBI questioned Peter Mukerjea for four hours but couldn’t retrieve much from the media tycoon who was the CEO of STAR India and INX Media.
According to The Indian Express, Peter Mukerjea was arrested after CBI found inconsistency in his statements that brought doubts regarding his awareness about the murder of Sheena Bora.
Mahesh Jethmalani, Peter’s lawyer, said he was shocked at the decision of CBI to put his client under arrest.
“I will be extremely shocked if the news about his arrest is true,” he said. “I contacted him through messages and my last contact was well past 7.30 PM when he informed me that he was being questioned by the CBI and that he would contact me later,” he added.
Earlier during the day, the CBI filed a fresh charge sheet in the Magistrate’s court in Mumbai naming Indrani as the primary accused in the Sheena Bora murder case.
The Mumbai police had arrested three accused who allegedly conspired against Sheena Bora, murdered her and later disposed of her body in a forest area in Mumbai’s Raigad district.
The investigation of the Mumbai police fell on rough terrain after Additional Director General Rakesh Maria left the investigation mid-way after he got a promotion transfer while the probe was at a crucial stage. Maria was criticized for taking a personal stand in the case, putting the accused and their family members through intense questioning.
The immediate reason for his transfer was believed to be the rigorous interrogation of the Peter Mukerjea.
The murder of Sheena Bora allegedly took place in 2012. The accused, including Indrani, are accused of murdering Sheena by strangulating her, then cutting her into pieces, stocking it in a suitcase and later burning it in the forest to destroy evidence.
Indrani is also facing a separate case for attempting to murder Mikhail Bora – Sheena’s sibling – by giving him spiked drinks. Mikhail had told media that he was fortunate to be alive as he left the place early on the fatal day his sister got murdered.
The murder came to light when a former police officer overheard the driver of Indrani, and an accused in the murder case, Shyam Rai, talking about the murder to his friend in a bar. Later, after he was arrested, he led police officers to the secret burial site inside the forest where skeletal remains were discovered.
Siddhartha Das, who claims to be the biological father of Sheena Bora and Mikhail Bora, had earlier said that his relationship with their mother Indrani Mukerjea was out of wedlock but is “ready to go for a DNA test” to prove that he is the biological father of both.