Indrani's ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna remanded in Mumbai Police custody

Mumbai: Sanjeev Khanna, the former husband of Indrani Mukherjea, arrested in connection with the Sheena Bora murder case, was today remanded in Mumbai police custody till August 31 by the court of Bandra Metropolitan Magistrate.

Khanna, dressed in an off-white shirt and khaki trousers, was produced in the court amid tight security with his face covered with a white cloth. The order was passed by the court on an application by the police seeking his custody.

The police alleged in the court that Khanna had played an active role in the conspiracy and murder of 24-year-old Sheena, daughter of Indrani, and he had to be taken to the spot where she was killed on April 24, 2012.

The police contended that Indrani, the wife of former STAR CEO Peter Mukherjea, her driver Shyam Rai and Khanna abducted Sheena in a car and took her to a forest in Pen town of Maharashtra's Raigad district where they killed her allegedly by strangulation. The trio then poured petrol on her body and burnt it in the forest, they said.

They further said they want to recover the object with which Sheena was killed and also the car in which she was abducted and taken to the forest in Pen.

The police said they have taken possession of Khanna's passport, laptop and mobile phone.

Khanna was arrested under IPC sections 364 (kidnapping), 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) and 120-B (conspiracy).

Prosecutor Laxman Rathod sought Khanna's custody on the ground that he was allegedly involved in the criminal conspiracy and murder of Sheena. Hence, a detailed probe is required to be done, he said.

He said the police need to find out if more persons were involved in the crime, apart from Indrani, her driver and Khanna.

Indrani was arrested by suburban Khar police on August 25 and later remanded in police custody till August 31. Khanna was arrested the next day in Kolkata in connection with the murder case.

Indrani's driver Shyam Rai, who was picked by the police in connection with the murder, was arrested on August 25.

During interrogation, the driver claimed that Indrani had killed Bora and that he had helped her in disposing of the body by dumping it in the forests of Raigad district, Khar police had earlier said.