Influential People Suppressed Sheena Bora Murder: Rakesh Maria

IPS Rakesh Maria retires today after 36 years of service with the Maharashtra Police.

Sheena Bora. (Photo: The Quint)

IPS officer Rakesh Maria has revealed that “influential and wealthy people” suppressed the Sheena Bora murder for three years.

Maria made the disclosure on Monday – a day before his scheduled retirement on 31 January 2017, after 36 years of service in Maharashtra Police.

“The Sheena Bora murder was kept under wraps by influential and wealthy people for three years,” Maria, Director General and Commandant of Home Guards, told PTI. However, he did not take any names.

Maria also lamented that the police personnel who investigated the case did not get their due credit.

I feel bad for the team which remained unrecognised and did not get credit for the detection and the good job done by them.

Rakesh Maria, IPS officer

Maria, who rose to fame for having cracked the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, is best known for his probe into the 26/11 terror attacks.

He was transferred in September 2015, days before his tenure as Mumbai Police Commissioner was to end, amid reports that BJP-led government was not happy that he took ‘undue’ interest in the investigation of Sheena Bora murder case.

“This was among the best detections in recent years. I was involved in this case because of my weakness for good investigations and interrogation,” he said.

After the case was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation, it also followed our line of investigation. They investigated the case in the same manner in which we did.

Rakesh Maria, IPS officer

Maria, who also headed the state Anti-Terrorist Squad and Crime Branch of Mumbai Police, credited his team for their contribution in cracking several prominent cases and also his seniors for trusting his investigation skills.

"It was my team in the crime branch which busted the Indian Mujahideen terror module, at a time when not many knew about its existence," Maria said.

Responding to allegations that he ‘dithered’ in bringing the Sheena murder case to conclusion soon, Maria said:

My team detected the Sheena murder case, and had I wished otherwise, we would not have detected the case and made the progress we did.

“A month before my promotion as DG, I had met then ACS (Additional Chief Secretary) Home KP Bakshi and CM's Principal Secretary Pravinsinh Pardeshi, to request to give me the post of DG Home Guard or State Security Corporation as my tenure as Mumbai CP was ending,” he said, denying that he was ‘shunted out'.