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Weeks after it informed that parts of the purported skeleton of murder victim Sheena Bora were untraceable, the prosecution on Wednesday told the trial court in Mumbai that they were lying at the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) office in New Delhi.
Sheena Bora (24) was allegedly murdered by her mother Indrani Mukerjea and others in 2012.
The revelation came on a day when the trial court received an email alleging that Sheena's bones had not gone missing but they were in the possession of a forensic expert who had examined the skeleton and who was deposing before the court as a witness.
This witness had suddenly amassed wealth, the email further alleged.
The special CBI judge S P Naik Nimbalkar informed the defence lawyers present in the court on Wednesday about the email.
After reading it, the lawyers submitted that the allegation should be investigated.
The judge then sought a response from the central probe agency.
The prosecution noted that it had first informed the court about Sheena's remains being untraceable on April 24, and on June 10 it further stated that they could not be found.
"But meanwhile, again after going through the office 'malkhana' (store).... the articles i.e. the bones are (found to be) lying in the malkhana," prosecutor C J Nandode said.
The CBI did not rely on these articles as evidence as they were not cited in the chargesheet, and it wanted to proceed without bringing them on record, the prosecution added.
The court then resumed the cross examination of the forensic expert.
Indrani Mukerjea, a former media executive who is the prime accused in the murder case, is now out on bail.
The murder came to light in 2015, three years after Sheena was allegedly strangled in a car by her mother with the help of Indrani's former husband Sanjeev Khanna and driver Shyamvar Rai in April 2012.
The body was allegedly burnt in a forest in the neighboring Raigad district.
Bora was Indrani's daughter from a previous relationship.