Indrani Mukerjea recovers, to be discharged today

JJ hospital's psychiatry department will evaluate Indrani before her discharge

After spending nearly four-and-a-half days in the Critical Care Unit of JJ hospital, Indrani Mukerjea, 47, the main accused in the Sheena Bora murder case, is all set to be discharged this afternoon.

Being treated for a drug overdose under Dr Wiqar Shaikh, professor of medicine and head of Unit V, she responded well to the forced intravenous fluid alkaline dieresis for flushing out the drug - benzodiazepine, as confirmed by Hinduja hospital's test of her urine sample - from her system.

Her urine sample had been sent for toxin screening to the Department of Laboratory Medicine at PD Hinduja Hospital on Saturday afternoon. It showed high level of benzodiazepine - 6,468 ng/ml this time, dangerously up from her previous 2,088 ng/ml. Normal range of the class of drugs used for treating anxiety is 0-200 ng/ml. It was learnt that she was under psychiatric medication as she was suffering from depression on the previous occasion.

On recovery path
A high-level source attached to JJ hospital confirmed the development and told mid-day, "Indrani is conscious and already on oral feed. She has not had fever since Monday and has responded well to the antibiotics. We have decided to send her back to jail on Wednesday. The discharge papers will be prepared; these will mention the diagnosis as 'drug overdose with aspiration pneumonia'.

"On Tuesday evening, doctors had already removed all the tubes connected to her body, except the intravenous fluid tube, through which the antibiotics will be administered till the time of her discharge."

Hospital insiders told mid-day that JJ's psychiatry department will evaluate Indrani on Wednesday morning before she is discharged. Also, as her blood pressure is under control, she will be put on oral medicines that she was taking in jail, once she is sent back. Indrani was given three tablets of amlodepine 5 mg after breakfast to maintain her blood pressure, aspirin 5 mg (blood thinner) twice daily after breakfast and dinner, and amitriptyline, an antidepressant prescribed by the jail psychiatrist; the antidepressant will be given to her under supervision in jail too.

Hush-hush probe?
On Monday, inspector (PRO) Shabnam Shaikh attached to Nagpada police station visited the hospital around 12.30 pm and recorded Indrani's statement, after consent from the treating doctors. When asked if the treating doctors' statements were also recorded, the doctor replied in negative.

When contacted, Shaikh refused to comment, saying she was not authorised to speak to the media. Her superior, senior inspector Sanjay Baswat, said, "I cannot divulge any details pertaining to our probe."

Also read: Indrani Mukerjea drug overdose: Why did samples take 55 hours to reach Kalina lab?

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