Sheena Bora case: Police inspector deposes before court

Prosecution today examined a police inspector, who was part of the investigating team probing the 2012 Sheena Bora murder case.

Inspector Nitin Alakhnure, who was posted at suburban Khar police station in 2015, told special CBI judge J C Jagdale that accused Peter Mukerjea's son Rahul had come to the police voluntarily.

Alakhnure said Rahul had told him about some messages exchanged on mobile phones between him, his father Peter and step-mother Indrani Mukerjea, the prime accused in the case.

The inspector's statement was part of depositions being made by prosecution witnesses in the murder case.

Rahul also told the police that he had recorded some conversations on his mobile phone and wanted to share the SMSes and recordings with the police, Alakhnure said.

He said police had copied the SMSes on one CD and recordings on another CD and later made three sets of those CDs.

While one set of the two CDs was given to Rahul, the second set was kept with police for further investigation, Alakhnure said, adding that the third set was sealed and sent to the Kalina Forensic Science Laboratory for analysis.

The police officer said he had recorded statements of five people in connection with the killing.

Meanwhile, the defence moved an application in the court seeking deferment of Alakhnure's cross-examination.

The defence said those witnesses whose statements had been recorded by Alakhnure should be examined first.

As per the application moved by defence, Rahul and one Kishore should be examined first because Alakhnure had spoken about them in his statement.

The CBI will file its reply to the defence application tomorrow.

Sheena (24), Indrani's daughter from an earlier relationship, was killed in April 2012.

The killing came to light in August 2015 after Indrani's driver Shyamvar Rai was arrested in connection with another case.

The police subsequently arrested Indrani, her former husband Sanjeev Khanna, and Rai in connection with the crime.

Later, Indrani's husband and media baron Peter Mukerjea was also arrested for allegedly being part of the conspiracy to kill Sheena.

The CBI, which took over the case, claimed that a financial dispute was the reason behind the killing.