MUMBAI: Indrani Mukerjea, wife of former Star India CEO Peter Mukerjea, today faced fresh charges of poisoning and attempting to murder her son Mikhail on the day her daughter Sheena was killed more than three years ago as police suspect involvement of people outside the state in the sensational crime.
Seeking further custody of the three key accused--Indrani, former husband Sanjeev Khanna and driver Shyam Rai--in the Sheena murder case, police told a metropolitan court they would like to establish a "financial trail" in the crime.
Meanwhile, Chief Metropolitan Magistrate S M Chandgade extended their police custody till September 5. Mikhail, Indrani's son with her first husband Sidharth Das, had earlier told the police that she had thrice attempted to kill him and also spiked his drink the day Sheena disappeared in April 2012. Mikhail, who lives in Guwahati, and Sheena were Indrani's children with Das.
There were emotional scenes in the court when Indrani hugged Vidhie, her daughter with Khanna, in the court and was seen crying. Indrani felt uneasy during the proceedings after which she was given water and allowed to sit.
Their faces covered in black veil, all the three accused were produced before the magisterial court amid tight security shortly before 3 pm. Their veils were briefly lifted when the Magistrate asked them whether they had any complaint (against the police), to which they replied in the negative.
After their police remand was extended, they were taken to the Khar police station where Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria, who himself is keenly supervising the probe, also arrived for interrogating them. What transpired during the interrogation was not immediately known.
Earlier, Chandgade rejected the contention of defence lawyers Gunjan Mangla and Hrishikesh Mundergi, appearing for Indrani and Khanna, that as the two were in police custody for sufficient time the remand should not be extended.
According to the investigators, during their interrogation on Saturday Indrani accused Khanna of committing the murder and dragging her into the crime, while the latter claimed he only assisted her as she had promised to help him financially.