A gloomy tale of deceit, treachery, and homicide transpired in Mumbai in 2012, engrossing the country for over ten years. A tragic story deeply ingrained in the public consciousness was revealed by the abduction of Sheena Bora, a 25-year-old executive at Mumbai Metro One, on April 24, 2012.
August 2015 saw the arrest of Sheena’s second husband, Peter Mukerjea, her mother, Indrani Mukerjea, a former media executive, and their driver, Shyamvar Rai, by Mumbai police following a protracted inquiry. The allegations, which followed surveillance sparked by an insider tip and Rai’s prior arrest for unlawful weapon possession, included kidnapping, murder, and the horrifying disposal of Sheena Bora’s body.
The alleged murder involved Sheena Bora being strangled in a car by Indrani, her driver Shyamvar Rai, and ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna in April 2012. While Khanna and Rai confessed during interrogation, Indrani vehemently denied the charges, asserting that Sheena was alive and residing in the United States.
Indrani and Sanjeev Khanna were implicated in shocking information revealed by Shyam Rai’s evidence. A day prior, Indrani had scouted the disposal site as part of a well-planned crime.
After Khanna allegedly strangled Sheena that terrible evening, the body was hidden in a bag in the car trunk and driven to Indrani’s Worli apartment. The three then drove to Maharashtra’s Gagode to burn and dispose of the body.
The Mukerjea family’s dark secrets were exposed as the motive was made public during the trial. According to reports, Sheena Bora lived with Rahul, her stepbrother and Peter Mukerjea’s younger son from his first marriage.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) identified two major contributing factors to the murder: financial disagreements and Indrani’s disapproval of Sheena’s connection with Rahul. The plot, which allegedly involved Peter Mukerjea, depicted a complicated family dynamic characterised by rivalry and jealousy.
‘Unbroken: The Untold Story,’ a memoir written by Indrani Mukerjea while incarcerated on murder charges, depicts Sheena Bora as a sister instead of a daughter. The Sheena Bora murder case continues to be a troubling and sinister episode in the history of crime in a city where fantasies and nightmares coexist.
Netflix launched a documentary series called ‘The Indrani Mukerjea Story: The Buried Truth’ on February 29 that explores the Sheena Bora disappearance.