CBI raids nine locations in five cities

SHEE BORA MURDER case

Judicial custody of all accused extended till October 31

Our Bureau & Agencies

Mumbai/Guwahati, Oct 19: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday conducted raids at nine locations in five cities, including Mumbai, Kolkata and Guwahati, in connection with the ongoing probe into the Shee Bora murder case.

According to CBI sources, the probe agency conducted raids at four houses of former Star India CEO Peter Mukherjea and his wife Indrani Mukherjea in Mumbai and Goa.

Indrani Mukherjea's parental-home in Guwahati was also raided.

A seven-member team of the CBI carried out a search at Indrani Mukerjea's parents' house at Sundarpur in Guwahati and questioned her son Mikhail. The CBI team arrived at Indrani's parents' house at Sundarpur area in the city at around 7 am and left the place about 6 hours later. The CBI sleuths refused to speak to the media. Mikhail, who also came out of the house along with the CBI team, refused to divulge details of the questioning. "They asked me to help in the investigation and I said I will cooperate. I told them that I will give them whatever materials they need to help the investigation," Mikhail said.

CBI also carried out simultaneous searches at the residences of Peter Mukerjea and Indrani in Mumbai and Goa, her driver Shyamvar Pinturam Rai's houses in Mumbai and the residence of her former husband Sanjeev Khan in Kolkata. This is the first search operation carried out by CBI after it took over the investigation of the case from Mumbai Police.

Indrani's mother Durga Rani Bora died after prolonged illness at her home here on October 1. Indrani's father Upendra Borah is unwell and now lives with his grandson Mikhail here.

The CBI took over the investigation of the case which was earlier probed by Mumbai Police on the allegations that the accused persons--Indrani Mukerjea, Sanjeev Khan and Shyam Rai--hatched a crimil conspiracy to murder Shee Bora.

The agency has filed the case under various sections of Indian Pel Code including crimil conspiracy, murder, abduction, destruction of evidence, causing hurt by giving poison and Arms Act.

In pursuance of this conspiracy, the accused allegedly abducted Shee Bora, murdered her and disposed off her body, agency spokesperson had said in a statement.

Meanwhile, a Mumbai magistrate court on Monday extended the judicial custody of the three prime accused in the Shee Bora murder case till October 31.

The accused are Shee's mother Indrani Mukerjea, the latter's ex-husband Sanjeev Khan and former driver Shyamwar Rai.

They were presented in the court by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after their last judicial remand ended on Monday.

This is the second time the CBI has secured judicial custody of the accused trio after it took over the case last month.

On April 24, 2012, Shee Bora, 25, was strangulated in a car and her body was set afire before it was dumped in the forests in Raigad, around 80 km from Mumbai.

The trio of Indrani, Khan and Rai was arrested in August this year in connection with the sensatiol crime and has remained in police or judicial custody since then.

Last month, Indrani Mukerjea was taken seriously ill due to physical weakness and had been admitted to a government hospital for treatment.