Sheena's email 'fights' with Indrani being probed

Email exchanges of an aggressive nature between Sheena Bora and her mother Indrani Mukherjee are being probed by Mumbai police to ascertain the motive leading to the former's killing, official sources said here on Tuesday.

Sometime before Sheena's gruesome murder on April 24, 2012, there were at least 20 heated email exchanges with her mother, prime accused Indrani.

Investigators are hoping that these emails could provide clues to the motive leading to Sheena's killing, allegedly by the trio comprising Indrani, her ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna in connivance with Indrani's driver Shyamvar Rai.

There are also moves afoot to make driver Rai an approver in the case in a bid to nail both Indrani and Khanna, who have been charged with jointly conspiring to kill Sheena, and then burn and dispose of her body in a remote spot in Raigad district, around 95 kms south of Mumbai.

Incidentally, the area of Gagode village in Raigad, happens to be the birthplace of the great social reformer, Acharya Vinoba Bhave, the father of the Bhoodan movement and the spiritual successor of Mahatma Gandhi.

According to local social workers, in the past couple of years, at least six bodies have been found in the same spot where Sheena's body was thrown and whose remains were recovered last week.

The first to be nabbed on August 21 in the sensational murder case, Rai (43), spilled the beans during grilling in the police lock-up on the alleged involvement of both Indrani and Khanna.

A resident of Santacruz east, Rai was employed with Indrani for many years, but with her increasing domestic and international travel, his services were terminated, forcing him to ply an autorickshaw to make ends meet.

Rai claimed during interrogation that he was driving Indrani's car, and kept watch outside while Indrani and Khanna allegedly strangled Sheena, then drove them to Gagode where they burnt and disposed of the body in the evening of April 24, 2012.

For making him an approver, police are likely to record Rai's statement under the Criminal Procedure Code Section 164, after he is sent to judicial custody. If he retracts during trial, he would be liable for punishment.

However, a week after Indrani was arrested, followed by that of Khanna, police were yet to crack the motive behind Sheena's killing.

Police have gone on record that Indrani was not cooperating with investigators and the duo have been making claims and counter-claims attempting to derail the murder probe.
Presently, the trio -- Indrani, Khanna and Rai -- are on extended police custody till September 5, and Indrani has been slapped with an additional charge of attempting to kill Sheena's brother Mikhail Bora.

Police are pinning hopes on the crucial DNA tests and forensic analysis reports of the remains of the body believed to be of Sheena recovered last Friday from the spot, which are expected later this week.