Shyamwar Rai, the driver and alleged accomplice of Indrani Mukerjea, has told the police that he was not paid for his role in the murder of Sheena Bora, but did receive a Rs 1 lakh “bonus” –from Indrani when he told her he wanted to work elsewhere soon after Sheena’s murder, according to a police source.
Rai told investigators that after Indrani’s business ventures failed to take off, she sold all her cars, leaving him no choice but to work as a domestic help in her home. After doing this for a about a week, he told Indrani that he wished to work elsewhere as the job didn’t suit him. Indrani, he claims, then gave him Rs 1 lakh – equivalent to three months’ pay – as a bonus.
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The police source added that Indrani first informed her ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna about the murder plot and that Rai was roped in later. Rai effectively became an accomplice when Sheena was abducted in a bylane near National College in Bandra (West) on April 24, 2012.
In his statement to the police, Rai said that Indrani telephoned Khanna on the night of April 23, 2012 and the two had a long conversation. Khanna flew down to Mumbai the next day and stayed in a hotel room booked by Indrani in Worli. Around 7pm, Rai drove Indrani and Khanna to Bandra, where they picked up Sheena. They drove into one of the bylanes near National College and strangled her.
{{/usCountry}}In his statement to the police, Rai said that Indrani telephoned Khanna on the night of April 23, 2012 and the two had a long conversation. Khanna flew down to Mumbai the next day and stayed in a hotel room booked by Indrani in Worli. Around 7pm, Rai drove Indrani and Khanna to Bandra, where they picked up Sheena. They drove into one of the bylanes near National College and strangled her.
{{/usCountry}}Rai told the police that after Sheena was killed, he and Khanna put her body in a bag with Indrani’s help and stowed it in the trunk of the car. They then went to the Indrani’s bungalow at Worli. He slept in the garage to guard the body overnight. Rai told the cops that they did not go to Raigad immediately as Indrani was afraid they would be stopped at a nakabandi.
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The next morning, Rai said, he drove Indrani and Sanjeev to a secluded area near Gagode village, where they poured petrol over the bag and set it on fire. It was around 4am on April 25 that Sheena’s body was destroyed, Rai told the police. They left the place only after Indrani and Khanna were sure the body was burnt completely, he said.
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