Sheena case: Witness says bone samples had duplicate bones

A forensic expert, who examined the purported remains of Sheena Bora in 2015, told the trial court here on Wednesday that the samples received from Mumbai Police contained bones of animals and some other deceased person too.

The doctor was deposing before special CBI Judge J C Jagdale here in connection with the Sheena Bora murder case, in which her mother Indrani Mukerjea is the prime accused.

While cross examining the witness, defence lawyer Sudeep Pasbola asked whether the forensic team checked if the bones received from the J J Hospital which were found in 2012 and the ones recovered during exhumation by the Mumbai Police in 2015 were of the same person.

Some remains, allegedly of Sheena's body, had been found in neighbouring Raigad district in 2012, but then police were in the dark about Sheena's murder, which came to light only in 2015. The 2012 samples were preserved at the J J Hospital.

To advocate Pasbola's question, the forensic expert replied in negative.

He also said there were "duplicate" bones (bones of the same body part) in the two samples. The set of bones preserved in 2012 also had several animals parts, he added.

If there are duplicate bones, it indicates that the sample had bones of more than one person, a legal source said.

The cross-examination will continue on Thursday.

Earlier, while being examined by the prosecution, the forensic expert had claimed that the bones recovered in 2015 from Pen in Raigad district -- where Sheena's body was allegedly disposed of -- were of a single person, a woman.

Sheena (24) was allegedly killed by Indrani and others in April 2012.