The Maharashtra government on Friday transferred the high-profile Sheena Bora murder case to the Central Bureau of Investigation. The decision came even as former Mumbai Police commissioner Rakesh Maria was transferred and will not be probing the case, said state Additional Chief Secretary (Home) KP Bakshi.
Maria was probing the case and was promoted earlier in September with the government calling it a routine matter which should not be linked to the Sheena Bora murder case. Bakshi said the case is being transferred so that there is an impartial and complete probe, and guilty must be punished.
“We want to send a message to the people that we have no intention of interfering with any investigation. Therefore, this decision has been taken,” said Bakshi.
“Formalities have been completed. We have contacted the Central Government officials. The decision of the Centre will be accepted by the state,” Bakshi said.
Bakshi added that the Sheena case was not just a murder case and money issue is also involved in it.
Ahmed Javed is the new Mumbai Police Commissioner but he isn’t interested in supervising the probe in the case, said Bakshi.
Notably, the Bakshi further added that present Mumbai Police Commissioner Ahmed Javed is not interested in supervising the Sheena murder probe.
The announcement has come days after speculations were ripe that the transfer of the Rakesh Maria was done in the backdrop of the Sheena murder case.
However, the Maharashtra government had later clarified that Rakesh Maria would be heading the said probe.
But the confusion over the “supervisory” role assigned to former Mumbai police commissioner Rakesh Maria in the Sheena Bora murder case had refused to douse.
Maria was transferred from the post of Mumbai Police Commissioner on September 8 and promoted as the DG (Home Guards). Ahmad Javed, a DG-rank officer, was brought in his place, fuelling speculation that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was unhappy over Maria’s handling of the murder case.
Indrani Mukerjea, wife of media baron Peter Mukerjea, was arrested by Khar Police on August 25 over her alleged role in the murder of Sheena Bora, her daughter from an earlier marriage, in 2012.
Sheena, 24, was allegedly kidnapped from outside National College in the western suburbs. She had come to Mumbai from Assam in 1990s along with Indrani and completed a BA in Economics from St Xavier’s College.
According to police, in 2011, Sheena got a job with Reliance Mumbai Metro, but suddenly stopped coming to duty. The same year, her Facebook account was deactivated.
