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Peter Mukerjea Charged With Murder Of Sheena Bora

CBI Charges Peter Mukerjea With Murder Of Step Daughter
MUMBAI, INDIA - NOVEMBER 30: Peter Mukerjea, accused in Sheena Bora case, was produced at Esplanade court on November 30, 2015 in Mumbai, India. Special court extended the CBI custody of former media tycoon Peter Mukerjea, one of the four prime accused in the Sheena Bora murder case, by one day. (Photo by Bhushan Koyande/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
Hindustan Times via Getty Images
MUMBAI, INDIA - NOVEMBER 30: Peter Mukerjea, accused in Sheena Bora case, was produced at Esplanade court on November 30, 2015 in Mumbai, India. Special court extended the CBI custody of former media tycoon Peter Mukerjea, one of the four prime accused in the Sheena Bora murder case, by one day. (Photo by Bhushan Koyande/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

The Sheena Bora murder case took yet another sensational turn today when the Central Bureau of Investigation charged her step father Peter Mukerjea, a high flying media executive, for murder. His wife Indrani Mukerjea is the prime suspect in the case.

According to The Indian Express, Peter Mukerjea has been charged with murder, criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence.

CBI files supplementary charge sheet against Peter Mukerjea in Sheena Bora murder case.

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 16, 2016

A special CBI court had last week rejected the bail plea of the media executive, who has worked as the CEO of Star TV and later founded 9X Media, observing that investigation in the matter was still on. The 59-year-old was questioned by the CBI for two weeks, after which he was remanded in judicial custody and sent to the Arthur Road Jail.

Mukerjea was arrested on November 19 for his alleged role in the conspiracy in which his wife Indrani Mukerjea is the prime accused. Peter Mukerjea had emphatically told the media after the arrest of his wife Indrani that he had no knowledge that the murdered woman was in fact her daughter and not her sister as she had led the world to believe.

Sheena was Indrani's daughter from her first marriage and was murdered on April 24, 2012. She was introduced as Indrani's sister, and only after her murder the relationship between the two was disclosed. Sheena was dating Rahul at the time of her death. She came to Mumbai from Assam in 1990s along with Indrani and completed BA Economics from St Xavier's College. In June 2011, she got a job with Reliance Mumbai Metro but suddenly stopped coming to duty after some time. Sheena was picked up from outside the National College in the western suburbs of Mumbai on April 24, 2012, the day of her murder.

Indrani allegedly paid Rs 1.25 lakh to her driver to help her plan the murder of her daughter and dispose the body.

A report states: "Both went to Lonavala to finalize the body disposal spot, on the return purchased two big- size bags, stored them in the car boot and met Sheena the next day for her engagement gift and dinner at Amarsons showroom in Khar... On April 24, the day of the murder, Indrani, says the CBI, purchased liquor, water, sedatives, hand gloves and also visited a beauty parlour. She purchased two pairs of male shoes and one female pair."

The CBI chargesheet says that one of the motives behind the murder could be Indrani's disapproval of the relationship between Sheena and Peter Mukerjea's son Rahul. Financial issues were also instrumental in prompting Indrani to murder her own daughter, the chargesheet says.

According to reports, Indrani had insisted Sheena end her relationship with Rahul. However, Sheena refused to do so, irking Indrani in the process.

Sheena Bora's remains were found in Raigad forest, 84 kilometers from Mumbai after a tip off from Mukerjea's driver. Police arrested Indrani Mukerjea, her driver and former husband in August. Bora was allegedly strangled, her body stored overnight, and then burned and dumped in Raigad forest.

Tests have confirmed that Bora was strangled. DNA tests conducted on her remains, a skull and some bones in September had confirmed that they were Sheena Bora's. Since then, the case has been handed over to CBI who asked AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences to conduct forensic tests.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.