Sanjeev Khanna, one of the key accused for the murder of Sheena Bora, was not present at the crime scene when it was being committed, the defence lawyer told the court on Monday. Hrishikesh Mundargi also said the court should not rely on the statements of his former wife Indrani Mukerjea's driver, who has turned an approver in the case, reported The Hindu. He pointed out a disparity in the information provided by the Central Bureau of Investigation, which puts Khanna at two different places at the same time.
According to Mundargi, Khanna checked into a hotel in the Worli neighbourhood of Mumbai at 6.05 pm. He had exchanged messages with Indrani Mukerjea and spoken to her over the phone several times between 6.07 pm and 7.24 pm. He contended that this information negates Peter Mukerjea's son and Bora's boyfriend Rahul's statement that he had seen Khanna with Indrani on their way to Bandra around the time the crime was committed.
The court was also informed that though the watchman at Indrani Mukerjea's house had told the investigating agency that he had seen Khanna with her at 9.30 pm, hotel records show that the Kolkata businessman had ordered food at 9.36 pm and he had also signed a receipt for it. Khanna in lodged in the the Arthur Road jail right now.
Bora was allegedly strangled in a car on April 24, 2012, before her body was burnt and dumped in a forest in Maharashtra’s Raigad district. The case came to light late last year when her body was found. Rai was arrested in August 2015 in connection with an arms case. He later revealed the murder of Bora, leading to the arrest of Indrani, Peter and Khanna.
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