Media tycoon Peter Mukerjea was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation on Thursday.
Media tycoon
Peter Mukerjea, who was arrested on Thursday in the Sheena Bora case, has been accused by the CBI of criminal conspiracy and murder.
Mr Mukerjea, 59, now faces the same allegations as his wife Indrani Mukerjea, who was arrested in August for the murder of her daughter Sheena Bora.
Peter Mukerjea "played an active role in the commission of offence," the CBI said in court today.
24-year-old Sheena was strangled in April 2012 allegedly by Indrani, her ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna and driver Shyam Rai. Her body was set on fire and dumped in the forest in Raigad, 80 km from Mumbai.
Indrani Mukerjea told friends and family that Sheena had gone to the US. The crime remained hidden for three years until the remains were found in August.
Peter Mukerjea was arrested reportedly after Indrani's conflicting statements led the CBI to believe that he was aware of the plot to kill his step-daughter.
The CBI said in court that Mr Mukerjea was in touch with Indrani at the time of the killing. "He was abroad but telephone conversations in the two-three days around the crime lasted 20-25 minute each," it said.
Mr Mukerjea's lawyer replied that he was trying to pacify Indrani, who had a dispute with Sheena.
Wearing beige trousers and a striped blue shirt, Mr Mukerjea looked grim in court as the CBI said that he tried to mislead Rahul Mukerjea - his son by a previous marriage - to "hide that Sheena was murdered."
"He falsely told Rahul he had spoken to Sheena Bora on the phone and she was in the US," the CBI said.
Rahul, who was questioned for hours on Thursday, has reportedly told the police that he shared concerns about Sheena's disappearance with his father. Rahul and Sheena, his step-sister, were engaged at the time she was killed. Rahul had told Peter Mukerjea that Sheena's passport was with him and she couldn't have traveled abroad, sources say.
Peter Mukerjea's lawyer said he had no malicious intent in misguiding Rahul, and only wanted to "bridge the gap" between his wife and his son.