Sheena Bora murder case is right there in the top five whodunits in India. On the face of it, the case is simple. Sheena Bora was killed by her mother (sister?) and step father over her relationship with a boy who can loosely be described as her step-brother. But once we explore the layers the murder mystery has more to it than meets the eye.
No body. No murder weapon. No motive. No eye witnesses. In court, this will be a tough nut to crack for the Mumbai police.
Sheena and Aarushi are united in tragedy. The two cases have some very uncanny and disturbing similarities.
1. Parents as suspects
Aarushi Talwar was found murdered in her Noida residence on 16 May 2008. She was 14. Also found was the body of the Talwar’s 45-year-old servant Hemraj. Aarushi’s parents Rajesh and Nupur Talwar-both doctors- have been convicted for her murder.
In Sheena Bora’s case, the prime suspects are her mother Indrani Mukerjea and step father Sanjeev Khanna. The police say Indrani and Sanjeev strangulated Sheena and then burned her body in the Raigad forests.
2. Honour killing as motive
In the Aarushi murder case, the police say that the Talwars were unhappy over the ‘relationship’ their teen daughter had with the domestic help. Without going into the salacious details that theory so far has resulted in the Talwars conviction.
In Sheena Bora’s case, the motive is yet to be established. The police, however, believe it was an honour killing. Indrani Mukerjea was unhappy with Sheena who was in a relationship with Rahul.
Rahul is the son of Peter Mukerjea - Indrani’s third husband - from his first wife. In a way - warped as it may sound - that makes Rahul, Sheena’s brother.
3. Sleep as an alibi
Rajesh and Nupur Talwar claim that when their daughter and servant were being brutally murdered they were sleeping in their bedrooms. They say the noise of their AC prevented them from hearing any noises coming from Aarushi’s room, which is adjoining to their bedroom.
Sanjeev Khanna also claims that while Sheena Bora was being killed, he was sleeping on the back seat of his car. According to Indrani’s driver and the prime witness in the case, Sheena was killed on that very back seat.
4. Personal details leaked to feed perception
In the Aarushi case, there were stories floated soon after the murder that Rajesh and Nupur Talwar were a part of some sort of a shady partner swapping group. They had extra marital affairs and this was cited as one of the factors which caused strain between them and their daughter who was at a rebellious age. The hint was that the Talwars weren’t ideal parents and Aarushi had a screwed up upbringing which resulted in her becoming close to Hemraj.
Typically, even as the investigation is ongoing, details of Indrani’s personal life are all over the media. Her previous marriages are being debated threadbare. It has reached a stage where Sheena is being called both Indrani’s daughter and her sister because on several documents her grandparents are listed as her parents.
Was she a love child of the wild, ambitious and beautiful Indrani Mukerjea? Well, the narrative has been established.
5. Domestic helps play pivotal roles
In Aarushi’s case, Hemraj was a victim. While the Talwars maid was a key witness from the prosecution. It was the maid who helped establish the scene of the crime and the immediate response of Nupur Talwar. The maid’s statement showed Nupur as unrepentant and a mother who showed a surprising lack of shock over the murder of her daughter.
Shyam Rai, the driver of Indrani Mukerjea, is the prime witness in the Sheena Bora murder case. It was on the bases of his statement that the Mumbai police arrested Indrani Mukerjea and Sanjeev Khanna. Rai - who has turned approver - denies a hand in the murder but is booked for destruction of evidence which includes setting Sheena’s body alight in the Raigad forests. Rai claims that Indrani Mukerjea planned Sheena’s murder.
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