Sheena Bora murder: Sanjeev Khanna confesses, probe gathers speed

The sensational Sheena Bora murder case probe tonight acquired a new turn with police claiming that Sanjay Khanna, former husband of Indrani Mukerjea, confessed to his complicity in the crime during a joint interrogation of three accused on a day the victim's skeleton remains were recovered.

"We just interrogated the third accused (Khanna)and he has confessed to his complicity in the crime," Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria told reporters after Indrani, wife of former STAR CEO Peter Mukerjea, her driver Shyam Rai and Khanna were brought face to face along with her son Mikhail Bora.

Khanna had earlier claimed that he was sleeping when 24-year-old Sheena was murdered and found her dead in the vehicle.

"This morning we have recovered the skeletal remains of the deceased Sheena Bora. We have also recovered her passport from Dehradun on Friday. This would negate the theory that Sheena went to the US.  Further inverstigations are going on," he said.

Maria said the skeletal remains would be sent for DNA test on Saturday.

"We have interrogated Mikhail as well and he has also given us some points which we are verifying," Maria said.

As the probe into the mysterious murder gathered pace on Friday with the questioning of Khanna, who the police said played a role in the abduction of the victim along with her mother and driver and killed her in Pen in Raigad more than three years ago.

Khanna, who was arrested in Kolkata, was on Friday remanded in police custody till August 31 after being charged with murder, kidnapping and other offences.

Brought to Mumbai from Kolkata on Thursday night, Khanna was produced in Bandra court and remanded in police custody after being charged under Sections 364 (kidnapping), 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) and 120-B (conspiracy) of the IPC.

Khanna was taken to Khar police station where Maria himself joined other officials in questioning the suspect.

Earlier producing Khanna before court, police contended that Indrani, her driver and Khanna abducted Sheena in a car and took her to a forest in Pen town of Maharashtra's Raigad district where they killed her allegedly by strangulation.

Police said they want to recover the object with which Sheena was killed and also the car in which she was abducted and taken to the forest in Pen.

They said they have taken possession of Khanna's passport, laptop and mobile phone and sought his custody on the ground that a detailed probe is required to be done in the case.

Another important person who was questioned on Friday for possible clues to the murder was Mikhail, brother of Sheena, who was brought from Guwahati.  He had been making claims that he has evidence to prove why his mother killed Sheena, saying he but he would give it to police.

On Friday he said he would cooperate fully with police because he was seeking justice for his sister.

Peter Mukherjea was on Friday questioned separately in connection with the murder case.

Peter, who had made contradictory statements on the relationship between Indrani and Sheena, was called for the first time for the probe to Khar police station where Maria was also present. His brother Gautam was also briefly questioned.

Peter, who was called for the first time by police after the lid was off the case and it kept taking sensational twists and turns, was questioned for about 10 minutes.

A media honcho, Peter had maintained earlier that he was not aware till the other day that Sheena was Indrani's daughter and about the murder and his wife had told him that Sheena was in the US.

But his son Rahul Mukerjea was extensively grilled by police for two days over his alleged relationship with Sheena, his step sister.

The trio had then poured petrol on her body and burnt it in the forest, they said.

In a complex web of linkages of personae involved in the case, it is suspected that Indrani was opposed to Sheena's relationship with Rahul.

The investigators are also looking into financial angle as one of the motives in the murder which took place on April 24, 2012 with the alleged involvement of Khanna in the crime.

Meanwhile, intriguingly, Khanna had purportedly shared a photo in mid-2014 with a message "grandchildren are the reward you get for not strangling your teenagers."

This share was liked by Indrani, the main accused in the murder of her daughter Sheena from an earlier relationship.

Another post shared by him on April 20 last year said, "If you succeed in cheating someone dont think that the person is a fool .. realise that the person trusted you much more than you deserved."

Meanwhile, a local court allowed the application filed by lawyer of Indrani seeking permission to meet her.

Indrani's lawyer had moved the court on Thursday saying that police were not allowing her lawyers to meet her.

While allowing the application, the court directed the police to follow the guidelines framed by the apex court on the rights of the accused.

Indrani was arrested by Khar police on August 25. She was later produced before the Bandra court, which remanded her in police custody till August 31. Indrani's driver was arrested on August 25.

During interrogation, he claimed that Indrani had killed Sheena and that he had helped her in disposing of the body by dumping it in the forests of Raigad district, Khar police had earlier said.

Maria, who himself interrogated the three accused -- Khanna, Indrani and Rai besides questioning Mikhail, said further investigation is on and teams have be sent to various parts of the country as part of the probe.