MUMBAI: The Sheena Bora murder case is back in focus after the CBI’s special public prosecutor told the trial judge on Thursday that a set of remains examined by one forensic expert could not be traced. Police in Pen, Raigad, had found the alleged remains of Sheena Bora’s body in a forest in 2012. A site exhumation in 2015 had uncovered more bones and human parts, including teeth and hair.
Judge S P Naik Nimbalkar is conducting the trial in the Sheena Bora murder case, where her alleged biological mother Indrani Mukerjea and Indrani’s former husbands, Peter Mukerjea and Sanjeev Khanna, are the accused.Peter and Indrani, out on bail, were present in court on Thursday.
Disappearance of the evidence was mentioned by special public prosecutor CJ Nandode. He is currently recording the testimony of a forensic expert from JJ Hospital, Dr Zeba Khan. The witness was not present on Thursday; Nandode said despite a “diligent search the articles referred (bones)” which were examined by the expert “are not traced out to the office record”. Dr Khan was among the experts who examined various sets of bones and remains recovered by Pen police in 2012 and 2015.
The CBI case is that Sheena, 24, was allegedly kidnapped and murdered on April 24, 2012 and her remains burnt in a forest in Pen in Raigad distric. The alleged crime came to light in August 2015.
The court is currently recording the deposition of a forensic expert Zeba Khan. The record is now available. Dr Khan was not present on Friday but CBI said it intends to proceed with further examination or deposition of Dr Khan without showing her the remains, as they remain untraced.
The court order said defence advocates, including Ranjeet Sangle for Indrani Mukerjea, Niranjan Mundargi for Khanna, and Amit Ghag and Manjula Rao for Peter Mukerjea, gave a ‘no-objection’ to further deposition and recording of Dr Khan’s testimony. The court adjourned the trial for further deposition to June 27.
The prosecution said Sheena is an alleged biological daughter of Indrani from her first partner. Indrani had claimed when still married to Peter, that Sheena was her sister. Indrani Mukerjea married Peter after her divorce from Sanjeev Khanna.
CBI’s case is that Indrani, along with her former husbands Khanna and Peter—who in 2015 was still married to her — and their driver Rai hatched a plan to abduct and murder her daughter Sheena and attempt to murder her son Mekhail Bora. CBI said Indrani, Khanna, and Rai abducted Sheena in a car, administered sedatives, strangled her, and disposed of her body in Raigad by burning it. The trial court had allowed Rai to turn approver in June 2016.
According to an earlier deposition by the official of a state forensic science lab, a DNA test had concluded that Indrani was the biological mother of the person whose left femur (thigh) bone and cervical vertebra were found in the remains.
In Aug 2019, a forensic expert from Mumbai’s BYL Nair Hospital had also deposed that the skull found by police was that of a “young woman”. Later in Jan 2020, a forensic science professor from BHU deposed that with “digital superimposition’’ he concluded that the recovered skull matched “100 percent” with Sheena’s photographs in which she is “smiling”.
In Feb 2020, the Bombay high court had granted bail to Peter Mukerjea, a former media honcho. The CBI had arrested Peter in November 2015.
In May 2022, noting her seven-year-long pretrial incarceration since her August 2015 arrest, the Supreme Court granted bail to Indrani Mukerjea.
Khanna is also out on bail as is Shyamwar Rao, the accused-turned-approver in the case. The HC in December 2022 granted bail to Rai, a former driver of the Mukerjeas.
Judge S P Naik Nimbalkar is conducting the trial in the Sheena Bora murder case, where her alleged biological mother Indrani Mukerjea and Indrani’s former husbands, Peter Mukerjea and Sanjeev Khanna, are the accused.Peter and Indrani, out on bail, were present in court on Thursday.
Disappearance of the evidence was mentioned by special public prosecutor CJ Nandode. He is currently recording the testimony of a forensic expert from JJ Hospital, Dr Zeba Khan. The witness was not present on Thursday; Nandode said despite a “diligent search the articles referred (bones)” which were examined by the expert “are not traced out to the office record”. Dr Khan was among the experts who examined various sets of bones and remains recovered by Pen police in 2012 and 2015.
The CBI case is that Sheena, 24, was allegedly kidnapped and murdered on April 24, 2012 and her remains burnt in a forest in Pen in Raigad distric. The alleged crime came to light in August 2015.
The court is currently recording the deposition of a forensic expert Zeba Khan. The record is now available. Dr Khan was not present on Friday but CBI said it intends to proceed with further examination or deposition of Dr Khan without showing her the remains, as they remain untraced.
The court order said defence advocates, including Ranjeet Sangle for Indrani Mukerjea, Niranjan Mundargi for Khanna, and Amit Ghag and Manjula Rao for Peter Mukerjea, gave a ‘no-objection’ to further deposition and recording of Dr Khan’s testimony. The court adjourned the trial for further deposition to June 27.
The prosecution said Sheena is an alleged biological daughter of Indrani from her first partner. Indrani had claimed when still married to Peter, that Sheena was her sister. Indrani Mukerjea married Peter after her divorce from Sanjeev Khanna.
CBI’s case is that Indrani, along with her former husbands Khanna and Peter—who in 2015 was still married to her — and their driver Rai hatched a plan to abduct and murder her daughter Sheena and attempt to murder her son Mekhail Bora. CBI said Indrani, Khanna, and Rai abducted Sheena in a car, administered sedatives, strangled her, and disposed of her body in Raigad by burning it. The trial court had allowed Rai to turn approver in June 2016.
According to an earlier deposition by the official of a state forensic science lab, a DNA test had concluded that Indrani was the biological mother of the person whose left femur (thigh) bone and cervical vertebra were found in the remains.
In Aug 2019, a forensic expert from Mumbai’s BYL Nair Hospital had also deposed that the skull found by police was that of a “young woman”. Later in Jan 2020, a forensic science professor from BHU deposed that with “digital superimposition’’ he concluded that the recovered skull matched “100 percent” with Sheena’s photographs in which she is “smiling”.
In Feb 2020, the Bombay high court had granted bail to Peter Mukerjea, a former media honcho. The CBI had arrested Peter in November 2015.
In May 2022, noting her seven-year-long pretrial incarceration since her August 2015 arrest, the Supreme Court granted bail to Indrani Mukerjea.
Khanna is also out on bail as is Shyamwar Rao, the accused-turned-approver in the case. The HC in December 2022 granted bail to Rai, a former driver of the Mukerjeas.
