More murky details in Sheena Bora murder case; new DNA samples sent to lab

Mumbai: The Mumbai police has recovered new samples of tooth and hair from Raigad, which are believed to be of Sheena Bora, who was allegedly murdered by her mother Indrani Mukerjea three years ago. Mumbai police commissioner Rakesh Maria personally spoke to the Forensic Science Laboratory chief and has sought a DNA report by Friday. This could prove to be clinching evidence while there is a lot of confusion on what happened to the body recovered by the Raigad police in 2012. The Raigad police has claimed it had sent samples for DNA testing to FSL in Mumbai, but FSL officials have denied getting any such request from the Raigad police.

Highly-placed police sources told this newspaper that the investigators had recovered new samples of tooth and hair from Pen in Raigad, believed to be of Sheena Bora, who was murdered by her mother Indrani Mukerjea along with her driver S. Rai and husband S. Khanna. “The samples will be soon sent to FSL and the commissioner has requested FSL director-general Satish Mathur to give us a report in the next 48 hours,” the officer said.

This evidence will play a vital role as it will help the police to identify that the murdered person was Sheena. The police will also send the FSL DNA samples of Indrani and Mikhail to find a match. A police team is in touch with Mikhail, who is based in Guwahati.

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Police commissioner Rakesh Maria refused to reveal anything on the investigation and FSL chief Satish Mathur also did not meet reporters on Thursday.

Even senior police officers from the Raigad police refused to comment. A police source from Raigad said they had sent samples from the woman’s body (suspected by Mumbai police of being Sheena) found in 2012 to Kalina FSL, asking them three major points, including sex determination and DNA sampling. However, they never got a reply on this from the lab.

On the other hand, FSL sources denied receiving any such information. Sources said work was on to find the papers sent by the Raigad police. Usually, after testing is done, the FSL keeps a record of tests. After testing is done, the samples are not required anymore and hence they are sent back to the concerned police stations, the FSL source said. It was also learnt from police sources that Indrani had done a recce on August 23 with driver S. Rai in Pen and had decided the spot to dump the body. On August 24, as reported earlier by this newspaper, Sheena was picked up near Bandra’s National College by Indrani after Rahul dropped her. After strangling her, she was kept in the car at a parking lot near their Worli residence. Peter Mukerjea was said to have been abroad at that time. Khanna moved into a hotel. The next day, as per their plan, they put the body in a suitcase, filled it with sarees and dumped her in forest area of Pen. They also set the suitcase on fire after pouring petrol on it. The next month, in May, the Pen police found the body, and later buried it.

However, Khanna is believed to have told the Mumbai police team in Kolkata that he was in the car in which Sheena was allegedly strangulated, but claimed to have been sleeping during the crime, in which he said he had no role. This apparently contradicted the arrested driver’s claim before the police that Indrani and Khanna had both strangulated Sheena in the car, after giving her a spiked drink in a hotel room in Mumbai.

Mumbai police commissioner Rakesh Maria said that the investigators had got an important piece of evidence that can be traced back to Indrani Mukerjea, pointing out her clear involvement in her daughter Sheena’s murder. They managed to solve the mystery behind the letters sent to Sheena’s office and landlord informing them that she was quitting her job and leaving her residence as well. Sheena had already been murdered at this point. “During the course of investigation it has transpired that Sheena’s resignation letter to her office and letter to her landlord, that she forgoes tenancy of the house she had taken on rent, have been forged. We have traced and recorded the statement of the person who sent out this e-mail signed on behalf of Sheena at the behest of lady accused (Indrani). The person has forged signatures of Sheena,” said the police commissioner. While revealing this information, Mr Maria termed it as “the most important thing (evidence)”.

Mr Maria said that the resignation letter was sent on May 5, 2012 while the letter to the landlord on the lease and licence agreement was sent in July 2012. Sheena was murdered on April 24, 2012. When asked about the motive, Mr Maria replied: “It is just 48 hours now. The third accused is coming to the city today. Let us interrogate him. We have a fair idea of the motive. It would be proper to record his statement and then speak. The most important thing is the letter sent to her company and landlord (tracing back to lady accused.)”.

“Out teams are in Kolkata, Guwahati and other parts of the country. Khanna will be brought to the city tonight. The probe has moved at the best pace,” said Mr Maria.

A Mumbai police team had visited Indrani’s parents house in the Ganeshguri area of Guwahati on Thursday afternoon as part of their investigation. After a one-hour stay in the house, the police team went to Dispur police station. Mikhail Bora, son of Indrani Mukerjea and brother of Sheena Bora, also went there about an hour later. The Mumbai police team refused to say anything to reporters outside Mikhail’s house. After coming out of the Dispur police station, Mikhail told reporters he had been asked about the case.

To queries if he had submitted any documents to the police, Mikhail, who earlier claimed he had evidence on the case, including photographs, replied in the negative.

Indrani’s father, Upendra Kumar Bora, disputed his daughter’s claim that murdered Sheena Bora was his daughter. “Sheena is not my daughter. I am her grandfather,” said 80-year-old Mr Bora, whose name was said to have been given by Indrani as the father in the birth certificate of Sheena, who was born in February 1989.

In another development, Indrani Mukerjea’s lawyer Gunjan Mangala on Thursday filed an application before the Bandra magistrate’s court seeking direction for the police to allow her to meet Mukerjea in police custody.

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday lauded the Mumbai police for its probe in the Sheena murder case, which he termed as “cold-blooded murder”.

Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, he said: “It appears like a cold-blooded murder. The conduct of the alleged accused is difficult to believe. Our force has cracked open the case, so that credit should be given to them.”

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However, the exact motive behind the murder is still unkown. Many theories abound:

Indrani might have killed Sheena because she disapproved of her affair with Rahul, Peter Mukerjea’s son by his first wife Shabnam.

She feared Sheena and Rahul might deny her daughter with Sanjeev Vidhi of the property if they got married.

Or even that huge, unaccounted for amount was transferred to Sheena’s bank balance which she might have wanted to keep for herself and not return to her mother.

There is also another theory that Sheena might have been blackmailing her mother, threatening to expose to all that she was her daughter and not sister.