Rakesh Maria, two others quizzed by CBI in Sheena Bora case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has quizzed DGP (Home Guards) and former Mumbai police commissioner Rakesh Maria and two other senior Mumbai police officers as part of its investigations in the murder of Sheena Bora, which is in its final stages.

Apart from Mr Maria, the CBI also examined joint commissioner of police (law and order) Deven Bharti and deputy commissioner of police (Zone-X) Satya Narayan Chaudhary to gather “information and clarifications related to the case probe,” said a CBI source. The source said the officers were “examined recently” without specifying the dates. Among the three, one was “examined” last month while the two others were quizzed this month. The source said that the trio was examined, as it was part of the initial Mumbai police probe team that investigated the case.

Sheena (24) was allegedly strangled in a moving car at Bandra (west) in April 2012 by her mother Indrani Mukerjea, her former husband Sanjeev Khanna and driver Shyamwar Rai. Sheena’s body was then dumped in a forest in the neighbouring Raigad district.

The Mumbai police, in its initial probe, had arrested key case accused Indrani, Rai and Khanna. Before his tenure as Mumbai’s police commissioner could end, Maria was given the charge of DGP (Home Guards).

The Khar police, which had registered the murder case, then came under Mr Chaudhary’s jurisdiction as the DCP.

When contacted, Mr Chaudhary refused to comment. Despite several attempts, The Asian Age could not reach Mr Maria and Mr Bharti for their response.

According to the CBI’s first case chargesheet, Indrani and had third husband Peter Mukerjea had allegedly approached Mr Bharti with the help of a common friend soon after Sheena’s death, claiming that she was missing.

The couple gave him Sheena’s mobile number, saying she had been missing for several days.

After the state government handed the case to the CBI in September last year, the agency arrested Peter Mukherjea within a month for his alleged role in the case claiming that Sheena had been murdered due to alleged financial reasons.

The CBI has so far submitted three chargesheets in the case.