Indrani Mukerjea sat on top of Sheena Bora and strangled her, confesses Shyamvar Rai

A special CBI court on June 20 pardoned Indrani Mukerjea's driver Shyamvar Rai and permitted him to become an approver.

umbai: Driver Shyamvar Rai, who became an approver in the Sheena Bora murder case, has alleged that ex-media baroness Indrani Mukerjea strangled her daughter inside a car on April 24,2012.

While Rai covered Sheena's mouth, Indrani's ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna held Sheena tightly.

In a 12-page statement, the accused-turned-approver said he as well as Khanna were helping Indrani as per her instructions.

The special CBI court on Friday handed over the statement in Hindi to all the accused, including Indrani's husband, ex-media baron Peter Mukerjea.

The statement also claimed that the "katta" (pistol) found with Rai at the time of his arrest in August 2015 was handed over to him in a parcel on Indrani's instructions, reports The Times of India.

Moreover, Indrani's assistant, Kajal Sharma, had asked Rai to take three months severance pay, an amount paid to an employee on the early termination of a contract, and leave, the statement added.

"Indrani madam Sheena ke mundi par baith ke Sheena ka gala daba rahi thi...Sheena ne jor se meri ungli kat li. Meri ungli se khoon nikla. Indrani madam Sheena ke muh ke upar baith gayii (Indrani sat on top of Sheena and was strangling her. Sheena bit my finger. It was bleeding)..." reads a portion of the statement.

Rai said Khanna and Indrani conversed in English language after the murder which he could not understand. But their conversation had mentions of Mikhail (Indrani's son), Rahul (Peter's son) and Worli, reported the daily.

A special CBI court on June 20 pardoned driver Shyamvar Rai and permitted him to become an approver.

Special Judge HS Mahajan, while granting the pardon, had instructed Rai to speak the truth about the entire episode.

With this development, Rai - the former driver of Indrani Mukerjea - who was arrested in August 2015 is no longer an accused and has become a prosecution witness.

Daughter of Indrani from an earlier liaison, Sheena Bora was allegedly strangulated on April 24, 2012, and her body was burnt and disposed off in the forests near Gagode village of adjoining Raigad district early the next morning.

Besides Indrani, her former husband Sanjeev Khanna, her present husband and former media tycoon Peter Mukerjea and Rai were arrested last year.

The case came to light after Rai was nabbed for possessing a weapon illegally last year by the Khar police. It was later taken over by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

He spilled the beans on the murder case and after 10 months, sought a pardon in return for turning an approver.

Soon after his arrest, Rai had told the Khar police and later the CBI what had transpired on April 24-25, 2012, how Sheena was murdered, burnt and her body disposed off in a suitcase around 100 km south of Mumbai.

He also described how a day before the murder, Indrani had allegedly conducted a recce of the spot and booked a room for Khanna in Hotel Hilltop in Worli as part of the conspiracy. Rai later led the CBI team to the exact site where Sheena's body was dumped.

While Indrani is currently lodged in Byculla Women's Jail, Peter Mukerjea and Khanna are in Arthur Road Central Jail.

Among the probable motives being investigated is a transfer of around Rs nine billion to foreign bank accounts.

During the probe, stunning revelations came forth including a letter purportedly forged by Indrani on Sheena's behalf to show she was alive and in the US, and her claims that Sheena and her brother Mikhail were her siblings and not children.

(With Agency inputs)