Things just got murkier: Latest developments in Sheena Bora murder case

It has been more than 24 hours since the arrest of media honcho Indrani Mukerjea. The plot of the murder of her daughter Sheena Bora has thickened considerably as the police questioned members of the Bora and Mukerjea families. While the driver Shyam Rai, Rahul Mukerjea and Indrani were questioned in Mumbai’s Khar police station, Indrani’s son Mikhail was questioned in Assam’s Dispur police station. [caption id=“attachment_2410910” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Indrani Mukherjee. Image courtesy: Facebook[/caption] Also in an interview to Times Now, Peter Mukerjea, Indrani’s husband, has now said that even Sheena had approached him saying she was Indrani’s daughter and not sister. And even as inputs on the case continue to come in, here’s a round up of Thursday’s developments in this extremely convoluted case. Have fair idea behind motive of murder, says Rakesh Maria In a late night press conference Mumbai Police commissioner Rakesh Maria told the press that Indrani Mukerjea had gotten a third person to forge the signature of Sheena Bora in her resignation letter to the company she worked in and to her landlord. Maria told the media, “With regard to Sheena Bora’s resignation letter, letter to landlord, we have traced the person who gave the signature of Sheena.” Confirming all the theories about how Sheena was murdered Maria said, “Sheena Bora was killed by strangulation in a car. Then, the body was set on fire in a bag.” However he refused to divulge much detail about the motive behind the murder. “We have a fair idea on the motive but we will only be able to comment after questioning the third accused. Investigation is going at a brisk pace.” Sheena had told me she was Indrani’s daughter, says Peter Mukerjea While Peter Mukerjea had earlier told television channels and the police that he was completely unaware that Sheena was Indrani’s daughter, he has now told Times Now that Sheena had told him that she was actually Indrani’s daughter and not sister. He told Times Now, “Indrani said it was utter rubbish… Why would I not believe my wife?” Mukerjea also told the news channel that “Indrani flatly refused that Sheena was her sister. Rahul had also told me the exact same thing, but I chose to believe my wife.” Mukerjea told Times Now that Indrani disapproved of Rahul’s relationship with Sheena and wanted them to break up. “Indrani felt that Sheena could get herself a better guy.”

#EXCLUSIVE In terms of gullibility, I believe I shouldn’t have believed my wife as much as I did: Peter Mukherjea on #SheenaMurderMystery

— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) August 27, 2015

  Sheena’s grandfather speaks out Upendra Kumar Bora, father of Indrani Mukherjea, too disputed his daughter’s claim that murdered Sheena Bora was his daughter. “She is not my daughter. I am her grandfather,” 80-year-old Bora, whose name was said to have been given by Indrani as father in the birth certificate of Sheena (who was born in February, 1989) told PTI. He named Sheena’s father as one Siddarth Das. Asked if there was another person in Shillong who is believed to be the biological father of the murdered girl, Upen Bora told PTI “that needs to be explored”. What Mikhail told the police In Guwahati, Mumbai policemen questioned Mikhail Bora at his grandparents (Indrani’s parents) home in Ganeshpuri area. While the investigators were tight-lipped, Mikhail said he could be the “next target” after his sister (Sheena) if he visited Mumbai for the murder probe. “I do not know. I may be the next target of my mother. She is very powerful. She can do anything she wants,” he told the media. “I can go to Mumbai only if the Assam government ensures that two nurses take care of my (ailing) grandparents. They are both in their 80s and suffer from dementia,” he said. Mikhail reiterated that he had repeatedly asked Indrani about Sheena’s whereabouts but the former maintained she was in the US. The driver’s statement to the police The driver Shyam Rai, whose statement led the police to Indrani allegedly in his statement said that the murder was pre-planned and that Sheena was strangled to death by Indrani and her first husband Sanjeev Khanna. According to CNN-IBN, which has access to the statement by the driver, “Indrani went for a reccee on April 23, 2012 along with him in Gagode village near Khopli Pen road in Mumbai where she planned to dump Sheena’s body after killing her. Following this, she gave a call to her ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna.” The report suggests that the next day she booked a room in Worli’s Hill Top hotel as Sanjeev arrived in Mumbai from Kolkata. CNN-IBN reports that the driver told the police that on 24 April Indrani and Sanjeev picked up Sheena from National College near Linking Road and then strangled her to death and put her body in a bag. “Later, the bag was allegedly set on fire at around 4 am on April 25. Sanjeev returned to Kolkata after disposing off Sheena’s body,” reports CNN-IBN. Sanjeev Khanna questioned The Mumbai Police on Thursday got a five-day transit remand for Sanjeev Khanna and he is going to be brought to Mumbai by Friday. According to television reports, Khanna has admitted that he was present in the car on the day of Sheena’s murder. CNN-IBN reports, “Sanjeev Khanna reportedly told the police that he was inside the car in which Sheena was murdered, but did not confess to the killing. This was confirmed by public prosecutor Shorin Ghaushal.” What the police asked Rahul Mukerjea For a third time in less than 24 hours, Rahul was questioned about his long relationship with Sheena, his step-mother Indrani Mukherjea, why he didn’t pursue the “missing person” complaint filed after Sheena disappeared and other related aspects. According to reports that Rahul told the police that after Sheena’s disappearance he did try to look for her and get in touch with her but he remained unsuccessful. “I tried very hard to find out about her whereabouts but I had no luck,” Rahul told the police according to The Times of India. He also told the police that his parents told him she had gone to study abroad. Later, Rahul was escorted to his two flats in Khar and Bandra where he and Sheena spent time together, a fact brought in the open by his step-father Peter Mukherjea, Indrani’s husband.