Sheena Bora was allegedly murdered by her mother Indrani Mukerjea
As they investigate the murder of Sheena Bora, allegedly by her mother Indrani Mukerjea, the wife of former Star India chief Peter Mukerjea, the police have pieced together a chilling sequence of events.
Sources say on April 24, 2012, the day of the murder, Indrani Mukerjea called Sheena in the evening and asked to meet with her to discuss something.
Sheena reportedly went to the meeting place in Mumbai's Bandra, with her boyfriend and step-brother Rahul Mukerjea, the son of Peter Mukerjea from an earlier marriage. Rahul reportedly left and Sheena called her mother.
Police sources say the 43-year-old media executive dragged her daughter into the car when she refused to get in, on spotting Sanjeev Khanna, Indrani's ex-husband, in the rear seat.
Sheena was allegedly strangled on the highway by Indrani, as Sanjeev Khanna and Indrani's driver Shyam Rai held her arms and legs.
Overnight, the body was in the car inside the garage of Peter Mukerjea's Mumbai home. The next day, the body was taken in the same car to Raigad, 84 km from Mumbai, where Sheena's burnt body was found on 23 May.
Rahul Mukerjea has told the police that when he called Sheena on April 25, her mobile was switched off. Two days later, he went to the police to file a missing complaint. Sources say the police called Indrani, who told them that Sheena had gone to the US because Rahul was stalking her.
Rahul has also told the police that the day after he tried to file the complaint, he received a text from Sheena's mobile phone, which said she wanted a break-up. He called back but there was no response. He says Indrani told him to stop chasing Sheena.
On an anonymous informer's tip-off, the police had been quietly investigating Indrani for four months but hit pay dirt only after arresting her driver in an arms case.
"During his interrogation, he confessed to murder. He took us to the spot where the body was dumped," said Mr Maria, who interrogated Indrani Mukerjea.
Until Indrani Mukerjea's arrest on Tuesday, most of their friends and relatives thought Sheena was her sister.