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Closing in on the financial trail in the Sheena Bora murder case, the Central Bureau of Investigation on Thursday told a court that former media baron Peter Mukerjea and his wife Indrani allegedly siphoned off funds to the tune of Rs 900 crore from their company 9X Media through a layer of nine companies.
The CBI also told the court that it has sought Interpol's help in seeking access to overseas bank accounts of the Mukerjeas even as it secured extension of custody of former media baron Peter Mukerjea until November 30.
The CBI made the submission while telling the court that it has sought Interpol's help in seeking access to overseas bank accounts of the Mukerjeas even as it secured extension of of Peter's custody till November 30.
Seeking Peter's custody, the CBI, which had claimed financial transaction as the motive behind Sheena's murder, said investments of crores of rupees were made by the Mukerjea couple and that "Indrani and Peter had formed various companies during 2006-07 and invested Rs 900 crore in them."
The CBI, represented by Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, also told the court that the "money siphoned off from INX (in which Peter and Indrani were partners) dealings was routed to Sheena Bora's HSBC account in Singapore."
The court was informed that "The CBI has written to Interpol seeking access to accounts of Mukerjeas including one in Sheena's name at HSBC Bank, Singapore.
The CBI also told the court that a woman named Gayatri Ahuja, working in DBS Bank Singapore, helped Indrani open an account in HSBC Singapore. During investigations, Peter told the CBI that accounts might have been opened in the name of Sheena Bora (by Indrani) in HSBC and other banks in Hongkong and Singapore.
According to the CBI, the couple's company 9X Media Pvt Ltd carried out its internal audit in which nine companies having shareholding as on March 2009 were found to have instances of alleged misallocation and siphoning of substanial amounts of funds by Peter and Indrani.
The reports of Serious Fraud Investigation Office and Income Tax and documents of chartered accountants substantiate the above facts, the CBI said while seeking Peter's remand.
Singh also told the court that Indrani and Peter had informed the police that whereabouts of Sheena were not known but later they told police that they have found her.
Peter, 59, was taken to New Delhi for two days for questioning by senior CBI officials and experts on the financial trail in the sensational murder case before being brought to Mumbai on Thursday morning.
The central agency had claimed that it has come across some important information and documents which are very crucial for probe relating to the case.
Sheena, 24, Indrani's daughter from an earlier marriage, was allegedly killed by her mother, her former husband Sanjeev Khanna and her former driver Shyamvar Rai in April 2012.
Image: Peter Mukerjea being produced by the CBI at the Esplanade court in Mumbai on Thursday in connection with Sheena Bora murder case. Photograph: Mitesh Bhuvad/PTI