Sheena Bora case: Mystery of Rakesh Maria transfer deepens

In the middle of the Sheena Bora murder case, investigating officer Rakesh Maria has been shown the door.

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis rushed through the transfer even as he was leaving for Japan.

Maria was transferred to the post of Director General (Home Guards) on Tuesday.

He had initially hinted that he will now resign from the police force after being arbitrarily shunted out as DG Home guards 22 days before schedule as a punishment but then changed his stand with a terse, "not true" comment which was sent as reply to many journalists asking the question.

The government which was upset that Maria was taking personal interest in a small case is now going to take personal interest in the Sheena Bora case, we are told.

But then other political parties like the Congress and the NCP are now trying to encash the situation by stating that Maria's promotion and transfer is a way to protect people because Maria had gone beyond solving the murder case and entered into the money transactions behind INX in which too many high profile people close to the current government were involved.

Since the Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP had not given any clarifications for the transfer, there were a slew of speculations in the media and in the administrative services, much more than what was in the Sheena Bora murder case.

To begin with, the Mumbai police have been demoralized by the said decision. Ahmad Javed who has been made commissioner will not stay as Commissioner for more than four months as he is due for retire in January.

"When Maria was made Commissioner, he had superseded Javed who was his senior. So one felt that Javed would never get that post and now which has come as a surprise to the latter too," says a police official.

The argument from the government has been that Maria was shunted out because he was concentrating too much on the Sheena Bora case and not concentrating on the busy festival time ahead.

"But if the Chief Minister had clearly mentioned that the festival timer will be a tough one because the High court has ruled that Ganapati pandals will not be allowed on the road and people are bound to break the law. Also, one of the days of the Ganapati immersion coincides with Bakri Eid and Maria has not taken proper steps for that and hence removed, there could have been a justification. But the government has not said anything. Maria is a very competent officer and he loves investigations and is very good at that. But that should not have stopped him from organizing the planning for the festivals," says former Police commissioner Julio Ribeiro adding that Maria should not resign now, but should also not pursue the Sheena Bora case. "He should move on," says the former top cop who was in charge of Punjab during the anti-terrorism movement in the 80s.

Amidst all this brouhaha, someone (Indrani) at Arthur Road women's prison at Byculla will be suppressing a smile as all the attention has moved off her.

The Sheena Bora case

Meanwhile other policemen in the case informed that the cops seem to have cracked Indrani's gmail account and her password.

The investigating officers found three crucial mails which go back to 8 March, 4 May and 7 August (2012).

The cops say that the e-mails give an idea of how the planning was done.

The cops also recovered some more physical evidence, shoes worn by the accused during the killing and Sheena's ear rings worn on the day of the killing, and later removed to ensure that the body is not identified.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.