Sheena murder: DNA tests positive, financials being probed (Third Lead)

In a major breakthrough, the forensic experts have established that parts of bones and skull recovered from Raigad forests indeed belong to Sheena Bora, after matching them with DNA samples of other family members including her mother and prime accused Indrani Mukerjea, Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria said here late on Monday.

This was expected to give a fillip to the ongoing probe into the Sheena Bora murder case, as the DNA tests of the victim matched with her mother and other family members, official sources said.

The DNA samples of Sheena's bones and skull were compared with that of samples collected from her mother Indrani, her biological father Sidhartha Das of Kolkata and her brother Mikhail Bora of Guwahati.

These have matched and would help the police strengthen its case against the prime accused trio -- Indrani, her driver Shyamvar Rai and her ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna.

"Today we received the DNA report from the FSL and the DNA report states that it is conclusively proved that the accused Indrani is the biological mother of the deceased," Maria told media-persons at the suburban Khar Police Station here.

Earlier on Sunday Mumbai Police took Khanna to Kolkata where he led the investigators to the sport from where they recovered the shoes used by the prime accused when they went to dump Sheena's body at Gagode, he added.

The police also recovered part of the jewellery of Sheena from there.

The police has also widened the scope of the investigations into the financial aspects of the accused with a team of forensic auditors, chartered accountants, income-tax consultants and the Economic Offences Wing (EOW).

"This team is focussing on studying the various companies, the various investments, the various properties not only in India but also in Britain, Spain and other parts of India, belonging to the Mukerjeas as well as the companies owned by them," Maria said.

This financial experts team has been working since past ten days and the police have written to other concerned agencies to come and examine the various documents, financial and property papers recovered from the accused.

Questioning of former media tycoon Peter Mukerjea was still going on and more developments were expected soon, police said.

The developments came hours after two of the prime accused Indrani and Rai were sent to judicial custody by a Mumbai magistrate.

The bones and skull of Sheena were exhumed and collected from the forests near Gagode, in Raigad district ten days ago -- August 28, 2015 -- after the exact spot was pointed out by Khanna and Rai who were taken there by police.

The trio was accused of strangulating Sheena in a car in Bandra late April 24, 2012 and then driving to Gagode.

There they doused the body with petrol, burnt it partially and then disposed it off in the jungle.

It was noticed by a local mango seller and some parts were recovered by the Raigad police on May 23, 2012.