Indrani charged with poisoning son

Mumbai, August 31

Indrani Mukerjea, wife of former Star India CEO Peter Mukerjea, has now been charged with attempting to poison and murdering her son Mikhail on the day she is suspected of murdering her daughter Sheena three years ago.

Investigators also suspect the involvement of some people from outside Maharashtra as each passing day uncovers a new aspect of the sensational crime.

Mikhail, Indrani's son with her first husband, Sidharth Das, who lived in Guwahati, had previously told investigators that his mother had spiked his drink with drugs on the day Sheena, his sister, apparently disappeared in April 2012. He also told investigators it wasn’t the first time Indrani had tried to killed: she had done it twice before, he claimed. 

Meanwhile, a local court extended remand of Indrani and her former husband in police custody till September 5 after police claimed they were looking to establish a financial trail in the crime.

Emotional scenes met the eye at the court as Indrani hugged Vidhie, her daughter with Khanna, and was later seen crying. Indrani, who face was covered in black veil, looked uneasy throughout the court proceedings, and was given water and allowed to sit.

Khanna and the third suspect in the case, Shyam Rai — Indrani’s driver — had their faces similarly covered when all three were produced before the court amid tight security shortly before 3 pm.

After the court proceedings, all three suspects were taken to Khar police station in the western suburb, where Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria also arrived for their questioning. What happened during interrogation was not immediately known.

Investigators claim that during questioning on Saturday, Indrani accused Khanna of committing the murder and dragging her into the crime, while the latter claimed he had only assisted her when she promised to help him financially. PTI