Seized suitcase lends credence to Mikhail claims on Indrani’s plans to murder him

The sensational Sheena Bora murder case took another turn on Sunday when the police seized a suitcase that was purportedly meant for packing the body of her brother Mikhail Bora, whom Indrani Mukerjea had allegedly planned to kill, even as key accused Sanjeev Khanna and the driver were taken to the spot in Raigad to re-create the crime scene.

However, officials were tight-lipped about the progress in the probe amidst reports that Indrani and her former husband Sanjeev Khanna had been making contradictory claims about who killed Sheena three years ago.

The new twist in the probe came when Sheena’s brother Mikhail claimed that their mother Indrani had planned to kill him also on April 23, <g data-gr-id="81">2012,</g> when she had given him a spiked drink.

The same day, Sheena was allegedly killed by Indrani and Khanna in a car with the help of driver Shyam Rai. The three had carried her body and disposed it in Pen tehsil of Raigad district the next day. The seizure of the suitcase from residential premises of Indrani and Peter Mukerjea in Mumbai’s Worli area apparently lends credence to Mikhail’s claim about his mother’s plan to kill him and pack his body parts, but there was no police confirmation to this theory.

The police on Sunday brought Khanna to the Khar police station and later took him to the forest in Pen tehsil, along with Rai. Indrani, Khanna and Rai will be produced before a local court on Monday, where the police are likely to seek <g data-gr-id="75">extension</g> of their police custody.

During interrogation on Saturday, Indrani and Sanjeev had blamed each other for the crime. Indrani accused Khanna of committing the murder and dragging her into the controversy. However, Khanna said he only assisted Indrani as she had promised to help him financially. Mikhail was also questioned at a hotel in Bandra on Saturday. Mikhail had said that hours before Indrani and Khanna met Sheena on April 24, 2012, and took her for what would be the last drive of her life, Indrani allegedly drugged him, but he managed to escape and <g data-gr-id="51">averted</g> the murder. There were reports that Indrani had sought <g data-gr-id="82">help</g> of a psychiatrist to get Mikhail labelled as a mental patient, but there has been no independent confirmation from the police so far.

Meanwhile, a village official in Raigad, who helped the team of Mumbai police locate the spot where Sheena was allegedly buried, on Sunday said when he first spotted the body in 2012 it was just a skeleton with no flesh. “It was all skeleton. There was no flesh. The local government doctor took it for postmortem, after which it was buried,” Police Patil Ganesh <g data-gr-id="55">Dhene</g> of <g data-gr-id="56">Hetevne</g> village said.

Asked how he came across the skeletal remains, <g data-gr-id="54">Dhene</g> said: “I had gone to collect mangoes. The body was not in a suitcase. The surrounding area was burnt.” 

Indrani, her driver Shyam Rai and Khanna were interrogated at the Khar police station on Saturday. 

The blood and hair samples of Indrani and Mikhail Bora have also been collected and sent to the Kalina-based Forensic Science Laboratory. The report is expected in a couple of days. The alleged car, in which Sheena Bora was killed, was traced on Saturday, even as questions cropped up about a cover-up by the police in not registering a case of murder or accidental death three years ago when a <g data-gr-id="57">partially-burnt</g> body, believed to be of her, was found.

As the investigation focussed on <g data-gr-id="67">forensic</g> examination of the skeletal remains found in Raigad, the police also admitted that no due procedure was followed when the body was first found on May 23, 2012.

“Neither a <g data-gr-id="73">crime,</g> nor a report of accidental death was registered when the Raigad Police sent recovered skeletal remains to JJ Hospital (in Mumbai) in 2012,” Raigad SP Suvez Haque said.

Though Sheena, daughter of high-profile media professional Indrani Mukerjea, was murdered in 2012 and the body disposed of in Raigad district, the crime came to light only recently.

<g data-gr-id="68">J J</g> Hospital had on Friday handed over to Khar Police a few bones it had received from Raigad Police in 2012. According to Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria, who is personally involved in the grilling of the accused, Khanna had confessed to his complicity in the murder.

On Friday, the police also briefly questioned Indrani’s husband and former Star India CEO Peter Mukerjea. Police had earlier questioned Rahul <g data-gr-id="52">Mukerjea</g>, Peter <g data-gr-id="53">Mukerjea’s</g> son from another marriage, who allegedly had a relationship with Sheena which Indrani disapproved of.

Police seize suitcase meant for packing Mikhail Bora’s body from the house of Indrani and Peter Mukerjea in Mumbai's Worli area.

Earlier, Mikhail had claimed that Sheena Bora was his sister and Indrani Mukerjea was their mother and Indrani had planned to kill him also on April 23, <g data-gr-id="140">2012,</g> when she had given him a spiked drink.

The same day Sheena was allegedly <g data-gr-id="149">kil</g> led by Indrani and Khanna in a car with the help of Shyam Rai. The three had carried the body and disposed it in Pen tehsil in Raigad district the next day.

Indrani and her former husband Sanjeev Khanna had been making contradictory claims about who killed Sheena three years ago.

Indrani, Khanna and Rai will be produced before a court on Monday where the police are likely to seek <g data-gr-id="162">extension</g> of their police custody.