Three years after Sheena Bora went missing, the Mumbai police has arrested Indrani Mukerjea, wife of Peter Mukerjea, former chief executive officer of Star India, for murdering her. Peter Mukerjea told NDTV that Sheena, whom the world knew as Indrani's sister, was in a relationship with his son from an earlier marriage.
Mysterious tip off
The Indian Express reported that a missing person’s complaint was filed in May 2012 at the Khar police station after Sheena, who then lived at Union Park Colony in Mumbai, went missing. It remained unclear, however, as to who had filed this complaint, because the newspaper also quoted Peter Mukerjea as saying that he did not recall details of this complaint. It was also not clear whether Mukerjea only denied not recalling details of the complaint or the complaint per se. A report in the Mid-Day said that, according to the police, no missing complaint was filed by Indrani. This is what was stated by the NDTV as well: When Sheena disappeared, no missing complaint was filed by her mother.
However, around the same time, in 2012, the Indian Express added, an Accident Death Report was filed at Raigad’s Pen Police Station about a woman whose partially charred body parts were found close to a farm house in Lonavala. Both cases would remain unsolved – and unconnected – till the Mumbai police received a tip off about the murder. According to the Times of India, the informant told the police that he knew about Bora’s murder and could lead them to the killer as well as the body. Based on this information, the police then arrested Indrani Mukerjea’s driver, who then confessed to having murdered Bora on Indrani’s instructions and disposing of the body in the forests of Raigad, at around the same place the charred remains of the unidentified woman were found three years back.
Indrani has now been arrested as well. Both the accused have been charged by the Mumbai police with murder, kidnapping and the destruction of evidence.
Motives: money or love?
There are a number of theories swirling around as to why Indrani might have gone though with this drastic step. Tehelka reports that the dispute might have been over money. In 2007, Indrani and Peter had founded INX media and INX News, which was later renamed 9X Media after the couple exited in 2009. After an audit by Singapore based investor, Temasek, the Tehelka report goes on to say, it was found that Peter and Indrani had siphoned off substantial sums of money from the company in the name of various family members, including Sheena. Later on, Sheena refused to return the money, and it was this conflict that possibly led to Indrani killing Sheena.
Another motive is being read into what Peter Mukerjea himself told NDTV:
Even murkier: daughter not sister
According to the Telegraph, while Indrani had introduced Sheena as her sister in Mumbai, Sheena was actually her daughter from an earlier marriage. Indrani also had another child from this marriage, Mikhail. Both Mikhail and Sheena were brought up by their maternal grandparents in Guwahati.
Mikhail has himself spoken to television news channels and disclosed that Sheena was his sibling. He has also accused Indrani of murdering Sheena. "I believe our mother killed my sister," the NDTV quoted him as having told news agency Press Trust of India. He added that he knew "the exact reason of the murder and it is not the ones that are being told to the media." But, he is reported to have said, that he would reveal it on August 31, only if she failed to confess to the police. "If she does not (confess), then I will do whatever is necessary," he was quoted to have said.
Firstpost also reported Mikhail saying that he had always asked his mother where his elder sister was but had received vague answers. "She always replied she was abroad. She said she (Sheena) had got a job there," he said.
'Dumbstruck'
Peter Mukerjea told NDTV that he he was "dumbstruck" at the arrest of his wife and the revelations. He said Sheena disappeared in 2012 but he "was not aware she was missing" until Tuesday. "I was told she is off to the US for studies. I felt a sense of relief. I asked my son to move on and forget Sheena," he told the channel.
"Until yesterday I was given to believe that Sheena was in full knowledge of her parents and Indrani but then I got to know Indrani is the parent," he added.
Peter Mukerjea was the CEO at Star India Network in 2002 when he married Indrani who was the Human Resources consultant in the same organisation. It was Peter's second marriage and Indrani's third.
The website rediff.com quoted Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria as having told the TV channel CNN-IBN that Indrani had confessed that Sheena was her daughter from her first marriage.
Conflicting reports
Police officials have been quoted by NDTVas saying that Sheena was last seen in a car with three people, all of whom have been arrested now: her mother Indrani; Indrani's second husband, Sandeep Khanna; and Indrani's driver, Shyam Manohar Rai. Mumbai police commissioner Rakesh Maria said Sheena was murdered in the car on 24 April, 2012. The car, with the body, was allegedly parked overnight in Peter Mukerjea's garage.
The next day, according to this NDTV report, the body was taken in the same car to Raigad, where Sheena's burnt body was found on May 23, 2012. At the time, the police dismissed the body as unclaimed but, as per this report, preserved the DNA.
A Zee TV report, however, quoted an officer at the Khar Police Station, who is part of investigation team, as having added a note of caution, on condition of anonymity. "The case being more than two years old where there isn't any DNA sample of the deceased or appropriate remains of the body, police is only relying on co-accused's confession," he is reported to have told the PTI.
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Mysterious tip off
The Indian Express reported that a missing person’s complaint was filed in May 2012 at the Khar police station after Sheena, who then lived at Union Park Colony in Mumbai, went missing. It remained unclear, however, as to who had filed this complaint, because the newspaper also quoted Peter Mukerjea as saying that he did not recall details of this complaint. It was also not clear whether Mukerjea only denied not recalling details of the complaint or the complaint per se. A report in the Mid-Day said that, according to the police, no missing complaint was filed by Indrani. This is what was stated by the NDTV as well: When Sheena disappeared, no missing complaint was filed by her mother.
However, around the same time, in 2012, the Indian Express added, an Accident Death Report was filed at Raigad’s Pen Police Station about a woman whose partially charred body parts were found close to a farm house in Lonavala. Both cases would remain unsolved – and unconnected – till the Mumbai police received a tip off about the murder. According to the Times of India, the informant told the police that he knew about Bora’s murder and could lead them to the killer as well as the body. Based on this information, the police then arrested Indrani Mukerjea’s driver, who then confessed to having murdered Bora on Indrani’s instructions and disposing of the body in the forests of Raigad, at around the same place the charred remains of the unidentified woman were found three years back.
Indrani has now been arrested as well. Both the accused have been charged by the Mumbai police with murder, kidnapping and the destruction of evidence.
Motives: money or love?
There are a number of theories swirling around as to why Indrani might have gone though with this drastic step. Tehelka reports that the dispute might have been over money. In 2007, Indrani and Peter had founded INX media and INX News, which was later renamed 9X Media after the couple exited in 2009. After an audit by Singapore based investor, Temasek, the Tehelka report goes on to say, it was found that Peter and Indrani had siphoned off substantial sums of money from the company in the name of various family members, including Sheena. Later on, Sheena refused to return the money, and it was this conflict that possibly led to Indrani killing Sheena.
Another motive is being read into what Peter Mukerjea himself told NDTV:
"Indrani was unhappy, so was I, about Sheena's affair with my son. Sheena was living with someone who was not earning. The relationship was not encouraged by Indrani...There was a lot of pressure from her parents as well."
Even murkier: daughter not sister
According to the Telegraph, while Indrani had introduced Sheena as her sister in Mumbai, Sheena was actually her daughter from an earlier marriage. Indrani also had another child from this marriage, Mikhail. Both Mikhail and Sheena were brought up by their maternal grandparents in Guwahati.
#TycoonKillsDaughter Have no doubt my mother Indrani killed my sister Sheena: Mikhail Bora to CNN-IBN pic.twitter.com/vjYdadHfrU
— CNN-IBN News (@ibnlive) August 26, 2015
Indrani Mukherjea's son, Mikhail Bora, reveals to TIMES NOW that Sheena was Indrani's daughter #SheenaMurderMystery https://t.co/aujxaEGIZv
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) August 26, 2015Mikhail has himself spoken to television news channels and disclosed that Sheena was his sibling. He has also accused Indrani of murdering Sheena. "I believe our mother killed my sister," the NDTV quoted him as having told news agency Press Trust of India. He added that he knew "the exact reason of the murder and it is not the ones that are being told to the media." But, he is reported to have said, that he would reveal it on August 31, only if she failed to confess to the police. "If she does not (confess), then I will do whatever is necessary," he was quoted to have said.
Firstpost also reported Mikhail saying that he had always asked his mother where his elder sister was but had received vague answers. "She always replied she was abroad. She said she (Sheena) had got a job there," he said.
'Dumbstruck'
Peter Mukerjea told NDTV that he he was "dumbstruck" at the arrest of his wife and the revelations. He said Sheena disappeared in 2012 but he "was not aware she was missing" until Tuesday. "I was told she is off to the US for studies. I felt a sense of relief. I asked my son to move on and forget Sheena," he told the channel.
"Until yesterday I was given to believe that Sheena was in full knowledge of her parents and Indrani but then I got to know Indrani is the parent," he added.
"I never took the rumours seriously...I dismissed them as a figment of rumour mongering. But now it is coming from the police, which is so much more shocking. I am starting to believe that what I was told four years ago might be true.
Peter Mukerjea was the CEO at Star India Network in 2002 when he married Indrani who was the Human Resources consultant in the same organisation. It was Peter's second marriage and Indrani's third.
The website rediff.com quoted Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria as having told the TV channel CNN-IBN that Indrani had confessed that Sheena was her daughter from her first marriage.
Conflicting reports
Police officials have been quoted by NDTVas saying that Sheena was last seen in a car with three people, all of whom have been arrested now: her mother Indrani; Indrani's second husband, Sandeep Khanna; and Indrani's driver, Shyam Manohar Rai. Mumbai police commissioner Rakesh Maria said Sheena was murdered in the car on 24 April, 2012. The car, with the body, was allegedly parked overnight in Peter Mukerjea's garage.
The next day, according to this NDTV report, the body was taken in the same car to Raigad, where Sheena's burnt body was found on May 23, 2012. At the time, the police dismissed the body as unclaimed but, as per this report, preserved the DNA.
A Zee TV report, however, quoted an officer at the Khar Police Station, who is part of investigation team, as having added a note of caution, on condition of anonymity. "The case being more than two years old where there isn't any DNA sample of the deceased or appropriate remains of the body, police is only relying on co-accused's confession," he is reported to have told the PTI.