True story behind Netflix's 'The Indrani Mukerjea Story: Buried Truth'
Netflix unveiled the premiere date and poster for its upcoming docuseries, The Indrani Mukerjea Story: Buried Truth, on Monday. Set to debut on February 23, it will examine the shocking 2015 case in which Indrani Mukerjea—a successful media executive and socialite—was arrested for allegedly killing her daughter Sheena Bora. Directed by Shaana Levy and Uraaz Bahl—the series will explore sensational family secrets and the potential involvement of millions of dollars. Here's a recap of the whole case.
Unsettling call recordings and unseen images to be revealed
This follows the publication of Mukerjea's memoir Unbroken: The Untold Story in July 2023, which detailed her upbringing in Guwahati, ascent as a media mogul, and her time in Byculla jail in this seven-year-long case. For the first time, the docuseries will disclose chilling phone recordings between Mukerjea, her then-husband Peter Mukerjea, and Rahul Mukerjea (Peter's son whom Bora was allegedly dating). Previously unseen family photos will also be featured in the series.
Take a look at the poster here
First, know about Mukerjea's complex relationship history
In 1986, Mukerjea and Siddhartha Das crossed paths in Assam, and they had a daughter, Sheena, in 1987, followed by a son, Mikhail in 1988. However, in 1990, Mukerjea relocated to Kolkata, leaving her children with her parents. In 1993, she married Sanjeev Khanna and they welcomed a daughter named Vidhie in 1997. Later in 2002, Mukerjea married Peter. Bora moved to Mumbai in 2006 with the Mukerjeas, where Indrani introduced Bora as her younger sister.
Recap: Bora's mysterious disappearance raised questions
On April 24, 2012, Bora took a leave of absence from her job and "sent her written resignation." On the same day, her step-brother and then-boyfriend, Rahul, received a breakup SMS. Mukerjea claimed she had gone to the US for higher studies, and consequently, no missing person report was filed. Upon Rahul's insistence, Mumbai Police visited Mukerjea's Worli residence but were informed she was abroad. Later, Mukerjea accused Rahul of stalking Bora—explaining the latter's alleged move without informing him.
When Mukerjea was arrested for the murder of Bora
Mukerjea was arrested in August 2015, just four days after her former driver, Shyamvar Rai, was caught with an illegal weapon, in an unrelated case. Rai admitted to his involvement in Bora's murder during questioning and implicated Mukerjea and her ex-husband, Khanna in allegedly strangling Bora to death. Both Khanna and Rai confessed to participating in the crime, but Mukerjea insisted that her daughter was alive and living in Kashmir.
When Bora's body was found in a decomposed state
According to Rai, the body was buried in a forest in the neighboring Raigad district on April 25, a day after the murder happened. Despite the body being discovered in a decomposed state a month after the crime, it remained unidentified for three years until Rai's alleged disclosure.
CBI's allegations and charges
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) claimed that Mukerjea killed Bora because she was angry about her relationship with Rahul. In November 2015, Peter was also arrested by the CBI. The agency filed charges against Mukerjea, Peter, Khanna, and Rai for conspiracy, kidnapping, destroying evidence, providing false information, and murder. The trial started in January-February 2017.
Mukerjea was granted bail in 2022
To date, the trial has included the testimony of 67 witnesses, such as Rai, forensic experts, and others. The trial was put on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic and experienced additional delays due to the transfer of the presiding judge in 2021. In 2022, the Supreme Court granted bail to Mukerjea, nearly six and a half years after she was taken into custody in the case.
