Former Star India CEO Peter Mukerjea, husband of accused Indrani Mukerjea in the sensational Sheena Bora murder case, underwent a fresh round of questioning on Thursday and is likely to be confronted with his wife.
A local court remanded Indrani and her driver Shyam Rai to judicial custody for two weeks while the other accused Sanjay Khanna was taken to Kolkata for being produced in a court there.
'When the forensics have collapsed, approver is clearly proved to be a liar from the beginning to the end... Does the prosecution genuinely believe that we ought to remain in judicial custody despite showing that their own story is not being corroborated by evidence, for another 192 witnesses?'
'I have strong reasons to believe that Accused number 4 (A4) Pratim Mukerjea with the assistance of other persons, including Accused no 3 (A3) turned approver Shyamwar Pinturam Rai may have conspired and abducted my daughter Sheena in 2012 and made her untraceable and subsequently destroyed evidence.'
CBI sources said that agency teams swooped down at the residences of Peter and Indrani, two each in Mumbai and Goa, Indrani's ancestral home in Guwahati, her driver Shyamvar Pinturam Rai's houses in Mumbai and Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh, and the residence of Sanjeev Khanna in Kolkata.
Shivade then asked if the skeleton finally came out of the ground in many parts. It was difficult not to gasp aloud at that revelation. Bhagat said that was true.
Indrani had earlier maintained that Sheena Bora, murdered in 2012, was her sister
Indrani Mukerjea, the prime accused in the Sheena Bora murder case, had allegedly told a friend that Sheena's relationship with Rahul, her husband's son from earlier marriage, was "not permissible at any cost".
The Central Bureau of Investigation, which is probing the sensational Sheena Bora murder case, on Saturday told a special court in Mumbai that prime accused Indrani Mukerjea had informed her husband and former media magnate Peter Mukerjea about killing her daughter on April 24, 2012.
Investigators in the sensational Sheena Bora murder case are not ruling out the "honour killing" angle after it came to light that both Peter Mukherjea and main accused Indrani allegedly disapproved of the "relationship" between his son Rahul and the victim.
When the hearings resume January 3, you wonder how many things will change and how many things will remain forever the same, as the Sheena Bora trial moves ahead.
'With folded hands, on humanitarian grounds, if she can get temporary bail on medical grounds so she can get treatment.' 'If she dies, the whole trial gets derailed.'
Here are the developments in the murder case which has taken explosive twists and turns since Indrani's arrest on Thursday night.
'Indrani gave a mirthless laugh on spying The Suitcase, from the accused enclosure and, in sign language, gestured the impossibility of anyone fitting in such a small bag.'
Will there be answers? Will we ever know the truth about who murdered Sheena Bora?
Indrani was cheering Pasbola on from the back, with little, happy whoops, that she muffled with her chunni. Indrani was in her element on Friday. The defence's cross-examination was clearly going her way and Indrani was delighted.
The close-onto four years (since November 2015) Peter has spent in Arthur Road jail, central Mumbai, in judicial custody, have taken their toll, lending him a bit of a melancholy stoop, a laborious gait and a tired face, turning him prematurely into a much older man than his nearly 64 years. Vaihayasi Pande Daniel/Rediff.com reports from the Sheena Bora murder trial.
Indrani Mukerjea wanted her husband Peter to believe that she was neither mother nor sister of Sheena and that the 24-year-old victim was very much alive, said the CBI.
Indrani called her personal assistant Kajal Sharma from the UK, May 3, 2012, and told her she had to sign Sheena's resignation letter as if she was Sheena signing it. But she had to first practice the signature and send Indrani proof of her proficiency in signing Sheena's name before sending the letter off. Sharma said she was reluctant and told the court that she told Indrani as much, but Indrani demanded it of her.
Vaihayasi Pande Daniel reports from the Sheena Bora murder trial.
The Sheena Bora murder mystery has seen more twists than a television sitcom. As skeletons continue to tumble out, here are the latest developments in the case.
Indrani Mukerjea, key accused in the sensational Sheena Bora murder case, has "confessed" to her role in the crime, while her husband, ex-Star India CEO Peter Mukerjea, underwent another round of marathon grilling today even as police tries to crack the intriguing case.
The Sheena Bora murder mystery has seen more twists than a television sitcom. As skeletons continue to tumble out, here are the latest developments in the case.
In a U-turn, former Star India CEO Peter Mukherjea on Thursday said deceased Sheena Bora had informed him that she was his step-daughter but he had no reasons not to believe his wife Indrani's denial of that claim though he found it "difficult to digest".
At the prison, both Ranjan and Manglik's cell phones were pressed into service by the CBI. Why the CBI didn't bring its own equipment seems a mystery... Ranjan's cell handset was given to Indrani and Manglik dialed it. Indrani then spoke and her speech, that emanated from the phone, via speaker mode, was recorded.
Special Judge H S Mahajan also granted pardon to Rai, who is currently lodged in Thane Central Jail.
Caught in a web of half truths, the Sheena Bora murder case continues to baffle investigators. Here are the top developments of the day.
The main accused in the Sheena Bora murder case has been suffering from dengue for the last seven days.
The spotlight had fallen on Maria and his crack team after the CBI arrested media baron Peter Mukherjea last year. There were allegations that Maria had not probed the property angle in the case and not quizzed Mukherjea.
That answer, the strangest of all till date in this courtroom, set off a ripple of excitement, surprise and muted amusement among those present, including Accused No 1 Indrani Mukerjea.
Getting ready for her new film, the starlet talks about her Bollywood experience.
The Central Bureau of Investigation was on Friday directed by a special court in Mumbai to begin arguments on framing of charges in the sensational Sheena Bora murder case from the next date of hearing due in mid-September with the judge saying he will "expedite" the trial.
Several questions about the crime, his conversations with his wife Indrani Mukerjea and his own statements were put to him during the test by CBI officials at the Central Forensic Science Laboratory.
Another season of these legal antics would be welcome, applauds Deepa Gahlot.
'Dalvi, you are saying you asked a question, but don't remember the answer?' asks Pasbola incredulously. 'Yes.' 'You are lying.'
Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com offers his unique perspective on the media overkill around the Sheena Bora case.
A special court on Tuesday opened the statement of 'secret witness' Ravina Raj Kohli, former president of Star News, from a sealed cover and handed it over to the defence lawyers.
In a late night development in the sensational murder of 24-year-old Sheena Bora, police on Wednesday night quizzed former media baron Peter Mukerjea's son Rahul, who reportedly had been in a relationship with the deceased.
Indrani's former husband Sanjeev Khanna was also charged with murder.
Rai had moved an application in the court last month seeking to become an approver and sought pardon. CBI, too, said that they have no objection to making Rai an approver.