Mumbai, May 20: Over six years after she was arrested for allegedly murdering her daughter Sheena Bora, former media executive Indrani Mukerjea on Friday evening walked out of Mumbai's Byculla women's prison here.
I am happy, a beaming Indrani told waiting reporters.
Sporting jet black hair, Indrani stepped out of the jail around 5.30 pm, hugged her lawyer Sana Raees Shaikh, smiled and waved to waiting media.
She then stepped into the lawyer's high-end car and drove to her Worli flat. She did not entertain queries from media there.
Her changed appearance prompted a flurry of comments on social media. So they have beauty parlours in jail, read a tweet.
Supreme Court granted Indrani bail in the case on Wednesday.
Sheena Bora (24) was killed sometime in April 2012 if the investigators are to be believed, but the crime came to light three years later with the arrest of Shyamvar Rai, Indrani's former driver, for illegal possession of weapon on August 21, 2015.
During the interrogation, Rai told the police that he knew of a murder that had taken place in April 2012.
Indrani, former media executive and the wife of media baron Peter Mukerjea, had strangulated her daughter Sheena in a car with the help of her former husband Sanjeev Khanna, Rai claimed.
Four days later, the police arrested Indrani. They also arrested Khanna, her former husband. Indrani maintained that she was being falsely implicated in the case.
Mumbai Police claimed that Bora, her daughter from an earlier relationship, was killed by Indrani and Khanna in a car which Rai was driving, and the body was buried in a forest in neighbouring Raigad district the next day.
The body had been found in a decomposed state a month after the murder but remained unidentified for three years till Rai's alleged disclosure, the police said.
The case was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in September 2015. In November 2015, the CBI arrested Peter Mukerjea for allegedly being part of the conspiracy.
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Pune (PTI): The Porsche car crash case exposed "systemic corruption," but the Pune Police have successfully uncovered the nexus behind the replacement of the accused juvenile's blood samples with those of his mother, Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said on Wednesday.
The case made national headlines after the high-end car allegedly driven by the 17-year-old boy in an inebriated state mowed down motorcycle-borne IT professionals Anish Awadhiya and Ashwini Costa in the Kalyani Nagar area on May 19 last year.
"Last year’s Porsche car crash case sparked widespread discussions about Pune’s deteriorating social culture, alleged police corruption, and several other issues. Amid all the criticism, one positive aspect stood out: the case exposed systemic corruption.
"It also demonstrated how the police, working within the same system, managed to uncover the entire nexus behind the replacement of the juvenile’s blood samples with those of his mother," Kumar said while addressing Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, an initiative aimed at raising awareness against drug addiction, organised at Modern College.
He added that the juvenile has been released since he was a minor.
"However, his mother has remained in jail for over a year, and his father continues to be behind bars. Doctors from Sassoon Hospital and others involved are also still in jail," Kumar said, adding that one mistake by a child, and an attempt by his parents to cover it up, destroyed an entire family.
He said the police will follow up on this case until every guilty person is punished.
Kumar also appealed to students to stay away from intoxicating substances and drugs.
"You are not only endangering your own life but also putting your entire family at risk," he said, urging the youth not to fall prey to harmful addictions.
"Instead, stand strong and act as a force to ensure that drug abuse is curbed in your surroundings. We assure you of full police support," he added.
He further stated that if youth from all colleges unite and decide to end this menace, "the day is not far when not even one gram of drug will be sold in the city".
The investigation into the car crash had revealed that the juvenile's blood samples were replaced with those of his mother.
The roles of Dr Ajay Taware, head of the forensic department, Medical Officer Shreehari Halnor, and a hospital staffer came under scrutiny.
While the mother is currently out on bail, the juvenile’s father, Sassoon Hospital doctors Taware and Halnor, staffer Atul Ghatkamble, two middlemen, Ashpak Makandar and Amar Gaikwad, and others remain in jail for the alleged blood sample swap.