Indrani Mukerjea claims Sheena Bora is alive and in Kashmir: The case in 11 points

Former media executive Indrani Mukerjea, accused of killing her daughter Sheena Bora in 2012, has alleged that her daughter is alive and is in Kashmir. Indrani, who is lodged in the Byculla Jail since 2015, wrote to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that she met a woman (a government official) in jail who informed her that Sheena is alive, and in Kashmir. Indrani asked the CBI to look for her.

But how can this be possible? The police in 2012 had recovered remains of a body alleged to be of Sheena Bora. The chargesheet in the case was filed and Indrani has been in jail since 2015. The latest development and Indrani's sensational claims have brought the entire Sheena Bora murder case back in the public domain.

Before we take a look back at the case, here's what Sheena apparently wrote in her diary: “Oh! Happy Birthday to me! But I am not happy. It seems as if I have got nothing in my life. Nothing! My future seems very bleak to me. Just depression has encircled me from all sides. Disgusting life it is. I hate my mother, that bloody b***h. She is not a mother. She is a witch...,” said a September 2015 India Today report. The diary entry is from February 11, 2003, when Sheena was 15.

Here are 11 points to refresh your memory on the Sheena Bora murder mystery:

1. DAUGHTER FROM INDRANI'S FIRST MARRIAGE

Sheena Bora is Indrani Mukerjea’s daughter from her first marriage. Indrani, divorcing her first husband Siddhartha Das, left their daughter Sheena and their son Mikhail with their maternal grandparents in Guwahati, and Indrani left for Kolkata. In Kolkata, Indrani married Sanjeev Khanna and the couple had a daughter. In 2002, Indrani divorced Sanjeev and married Peter Mukerjea, the former CEO of Star India.

2. 2006: SHEENA MOVES TO MUMBAI

Sheena moved to Mumbai in 2006 with her brother Mikhail. Indrani Mukerjea kept her relationship with Sheena and Mikhail under the wraps. Indrani introduced Sheena, her daughter, to her colleagues as her younger sibling. In Mumbai, Sheena took admission in St Xavier's College in BA (Fine Arts) in 2006. She joined Reliance Industries as a management trainee in 2009, after graduating from Xavier's, and then in 2011, she started working as an assistant manager with Mumbai One Metro. During this time, Sheena got into a relationship with her step-brother Rahul Mukerjea (Peter Mukerjea’s son from his earlier marriage).

3. SHEENA'S RIFT WITH MOTHER

Since the very beginning, all was not well between Sheena and her mother Indrani. Mukerjea was a media baron and was financially well off. Sheena was in a relationship with Rahul, Peter’s son, and this led to bitterness between the mother and daughter. As per the CBI chargesheet, at one point, Indrani even sent Sheena to Delhi and asked her former boyfriend Kaustubh Saikia to take her to Bengaluru.

However, Rahul came to know of this and went to Bengaluru only to find Sheena in a bad state. He came to know that the medication given to Sheena by her mother was actually sedatives meant for mental illness. Rahul and Sheena got engaged in October 2011, much against Indrani and Peter’s consent.

4. THE PROPERTY DISPUTE

So far, three chargesheets have been filed by the CBI in court. In one of the chargesheets, the CBI mentioned that Sheena and Rahul Mukerjea (Peter Mukerjea’s son) were to marry soon. And if that would have happened, Sheena would have inherited the entire property of her mother, leaving her step-sibling, Vidhie (Indrani’s daughter from her second marriage) high and dry.

The third chargesheet filed by the CBI mentioned that Indrani did discuss this with Sanjeev Khanna, her former husband, and that she expressed her fear of losing the property to Sheena if the two got married.

5. MOTHER TO MURDERER

Sheena was murdered on April 24, 2012. But no missing report was filed. The murder is said to be meticulously planned by Indrani, her former husband Sanjeev Khanna and driver Shyamvar Rai. The CBI, in one of the chargesheets, also said that Peter Mukerjea was kept in the loop. On enquiry, Indrani said to Rahul that Sheena had left for the US. Sheena’s phone was used to send a message to Rahul, that she wanted to break up with him.

6. RAKESH MARIA IN ACTION

Three years had passed since Sheena went missing, but there was no FIR lodged for her disappearance. Then one day in 2015, the then Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria received an anonymous call saying that Sheena Bora was missing for the last three years. A report in Mid-Day said that Maria asked PI Inspector Dinesh Kadam to start the investigations in the case. And this is how the needle of suspicion gradually started turning towards Indrani Mukerjea.

7. DRIVER TURNS WHISTLEBLOWER

Indrani Mukerjea wasn’t brought in for questioning at first, but she was kept on surveillance. On August 26, 2015, her driver Shyamwar Rai was picked up for questioning in an illegal arms case but was questioned on the Sheena Bora case instead. During the interrogation, the driver spilled the beans on the murder of Sheena Bora. Shyamwar told the police that Indrani was the key conspirator in Sheena’s murder. He also disclosed his role and that of Indrani's former husband Sanjeev Khanna.

8. INDRANI AND SANJEEV ARRESTED

Indrani was subsequently arrested from her residence in Worli, Mumbai, while Sanjeev Khanna was arrested from his home in New Alipore in Kolkata, a day later. Indrani initially denied the charges pressed against her but eventually she broke down and confessed her role in the crime.

9. ROLE OF PETER MUKERJEA

The second chargesheet in the Sheena Bora murder case was filed in February 2016 against Peter Mukerjea, for his alleged role in the murder. CBI, in its submission to the Metropolitan Magistrate in Mumbai, said that Peter was in the know of the murder conspiracy. The agency even said that Indrani was in constant touch with Peter, who was in London at that time, while Indrani did a recce to dump the body - a day before the murder of Sheena Bora.

10. SHEENA’S DEATH

According to driver Shyamwar Rai’s account, Indrani and Sanjeev Khanna had rented an Opel Corsa car to dispose of Sheena's body. Khanna had landed in Mumbai and checked into Hotel Hilltop in Worli. A Rediff report, which quoted the CBI’s chargesheet, on the day of murder, Indrani called Sheena and said she wanted to present her with an engagement gift and also bury the hatchet. Indrani also got the driver to spike the water bottles with sedatives. When Sheena was in the car, Indrani offered her the bottle. Sheena drank from it. After some time, when Sheena felt drowsy, Rai stopped the car. Sanjeev Khanna came to the rear seat along with driver Rai. Khanna held Sheena’s hair while Shyamwar Rai covered her mouth and Indrani strangulated Sheena to death. Sheena was 24 at the time of her death.

11. MIKHAIL, THE LUCKY SURVIVOR

As per CBI chargesheet, Indrani had not only plotted Sheena’s but her son Mikhail’s murder too. The chargesheet said on the day of Sheena’s murder, Mikhail was at his mother’s home in Worli. After killing Sheena, Indrani Mukerjea, Sanjeev Khanna and driver Shyamwar Rai went to Worli. There, Indrani hd a drink with Mikhail. But she got worried when even after several drinks, Mikhail did not get unconscious. Then the three of them dropped the plan as Sanjeev Khanna said disposing of two bodies at two different places would be difficult. Khanna then suggested they would see Mikhail later.

The Sheena Bora murder mystery is back in news because of Indrani Mukerjea's claim that Bora is alive and in Kashmir.