Loopholes in Shyamvar Rai’s statements: Lawyer

Mumbai: In the Sheena Bora murder case hearing on Friday, Indrani Mukerjea’s lawyer, Sudeep Pasbola pointed out to the court the two different statements that Shyamvar Rai’s gave to the Khar police and later to the CBI when the probe was handed over to it.

Defence lawyer Pasbola, while cross-examining Rai’s arrest, claimed that according to Rai’s statement recorded by the Khar police, he was arrested from Khar Daunda area. However, in the statement recorded by the CBI, Rai says that the police had apprehended him at Carter Road. In the meanwhile, Rai maintained in the court that he was arrested at Carter Road. He also maintained that in his statement to the Khar police, he had not said that he was arrested at Khar Daunda.

Special public prosecutor Kavita Patil took objection to this and said to judge J. C. Jagdale that the statement does not specify that he was arrested at Khar Danda. The defence said that this issue could be decided at the time of arguments.

Another point that Sudeep Pasbola brought to the court’s notice was that Shyamvar Rai had not stated (in his statement given to Khar police) that Indrani had handed over a parcel containing country-made revolver and its cartridges to Rai asking him to dispose the same. While being questioned on the aforementioned parcel, Rai clarified that by previous two attempts to throw away plastic bag containing arms, he meant that he had thought of disposing the bag but had not attempted the same practically. Rai also told the court that he opened the parcel, after Indrani terminated his service.

Advocate Pasbola further said that though Rai had told the CBI that he was residing at Vakola since around three years before his arrest, in his statement recorded by Khar police on September 6, 2012 it is written that he was staying there since around four months.