Peter Mukerjea and his wife Indrani, arrested in Sheena Bora murder case, had approached a senior Mumbai Police officer in 2012 seeking help to trace the call location of Sheena.
According to Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order), Deven Bharti, the couple had talked to him over telephone about tracing the location of the mobile phone of the missing person, when he was Additional CP (Crime).
"The accused couple talked to me over phone on this," Bharti, who was heading the Crime Branch and was the nodal officer for tracing missing persons then, told PTI. He did not elaborate.
CBI sources said that the fact emerged during interrogation of Peter.
It is claimed that that the couple later told the police officer, assigned by Bharti to make inquiries, that the matter could be dropped as the missing person was traced, but it has raised questions as to why that officer did not try to ascertain the veracity of their claim.
Last week, the 59-year-old former media magnate was arrested by CBI and charged with murder and criminal conspiracy in the murder case.
The central probe agency, which was represented by Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, also told the court that Peter was in continous conversation with Indrani prior, during and after the gruesome murder.
There was a dispute between Sheena and Indrani, and Peter had acted as a mediator, Singh contended.
Peter played an active role in the commission of the crime and also misled his son Rahul to hide the fact that Sheena was murdered, Singh told the court of Mumbai Metropolitan Magistrate RV Adone.
Suggesting a financial angle to the murder of the 24-year-old in April 2012, the chargesheet said fear of Sheena inheriting the entire property of her and her husband in the event of the victim's marriage to Peter's son Rahul is said to be the prime motive for Indrani to do away with her daughter.
The probe agency also said that (when) Peter and Indrani returned separately (from the US) they were constantly in touch with each other, which was not normal at other times.
"Though Peter was abroad, telephone conversation during 2/3 days around the (date of the) crime lasted 20 to 25 minutes each time," Singh told the court.
Also, Sheena's mobile and ATM cards are missing, he told the court.
The agency told the court that Rahul had recorded his conversation with Peter in which his father told him that he has spoken to Sheena and she was in the US.
