Only in India's convoluted politics, which is amply demonstrated in the goings-on of Bombay's Sheena Bora murder case, do the following things happen:
The city's Police Commissioner takes a hands -on, as opposed to supervisory role, in the investigation even quizzing the main suspects himself - a strange occurrence. The police are outrun by the media, who have located suspects while the police have still been looking for them (shades of the Pacheco case on Goa). In Bombay, the media has better investigators than the police. The Home Dept of the state suddenly 'exits' the Police Commissioner/Chief Investigator, saying that too much attention has been paid to the case by him. Yet strangely while transferring him in a promotion, he is still kept in charge of the case though another PC has been appointed for Bombay. The Police can't make up their mind whether the exhumed 2 year old body of the 24 year old murdered woman is the person she is supposed to be despite DNA tests. This allows the alleged 43 year old murderer (the mother who says she is really her sister) to confess one day and retract the next. Tremendous police resources are used on the case. Imagine 40 policemen escorting each suspect to questioning and to court and there are about 6 to 7 of them who have close connection to the case. Yet no clear motive has been linked to the murder. To those who can read between the lines, the money power and police corruption is as thick as the sludge in the oil sands. On top of that, one call from some political biggie sends the police deliberately in another direction. Again as in the Pacheco case. Years ago, a city inspector of police proudly told me that the Bombay Police comes right after Scotland Yard in crime detection. "Dream on" I told him. The actual fact is that the Bombay Police usually get their man (or woman) through a systemic third degree procedure with connected culprits. What they do or can do (the courts throw out such evidence) with the information thus obtained is another matter. Roland. Sent from my iPhone
