Mekhail to court: Indrani, Peter and Sheena had frequent fights

Sheena’s mother Indrani is the prime accused in the 2012 murder case. (Express Photo by Deepak Joshi)

CONTINUING HIS deposition in the alleged murder case of his sister Sheena Bora, 28-year-old Mekhail Bora Tuesday told the court that in 2010-11, there were frequent fights between Sheena, their mother Indrani Mukerjea and her husband Peter Mukerjea over Sheena’s relationship with Peter’s son, Rahul. Mekhail claimed that Sheena had told him that both Indrani and Peter did not approve of the relationship.

“In 2010-11, Sheena disclosed to me that there were many fights between Indrani, Peter and her. She said that both Indrani and Peter did not like the fact that they were in a relationship (Sheena and Rahul). Indrani also would call me and tell me that I should explain to Sheena that she should not continue with the relationship,” Mekhail told the court.

Mekhail is appearing as a prosecution witness in the case, with the CBI alleging that Indrani, in a conspiracy with the other accused, had allegedly murdered Sheena on April 24, 2012. Mekhail said that in March 2012, Indrani had sent him a text and asked him to forward it to Sheena. “The text said that if Sheena continued her relationship with Rahul, she would be disinherited from the property,” Mekhail said. He said that he had initially refused to send it but was scared that Indrani would stop the financial assistance to him and his grandparents and hence sent it. He claimed that he did not remember whether or not Sheena had responded to the text.

Mekhail also revealed about the troubled relationship between Indrani and Sheena, claiming that Sheena had during a visit to meet him in Delhi, where he was studying, told him that Indrani would discriminate between her and her other daughter Vidhie. “Sheena told me that she wanted to call Indrani ‘mother’, but Indrani did not like it,”Mekhail claimed. He further said that Sheena was initially living with Indrani but she had, for these reasons, moved to a place as paying guest near her college in South Mumbai.

Mekhail further claimed that in the beginning of April 2012, Indrani’s then driver Shyamvar Rai had called him and said there is a lot of money belonging to Indrani and Peter lying at their home. “Rai told me that I should come to Mumbai and we could divide the money between us. I told him that I am not interested. I was wondering why he was not doing it himself and instead calling me all the way from Guwahati,” Mekhail told the court. Rai, an accused-turned-approver in the case, had claimed that Indrani had made him call Mekhail so that he could come to Mumbai and also be killed.

Mekhail claimed that on April 24, 2012, he came to Mumbai after Indrani asked him to come to the city to meet her. He said that he was at her house in Worli and had seen Rai and Indrani’s former husband, Sanjeev Khanna. He said that he was offered a drink by Indrani, but after having two pegs, he began sweating and feeling dizzy. Mekhail claimed that he had felt suspicious and had stopped drinking. He claimed that after a previous incident of drinking with Khanna and then being admitted into a hospital by Indrani to prove that he was mentally unstable, he was scared and therefore did not sleep. “At around 5am, I heard Indrani talk to someone on the phone and then she left saying that she was going for a meeting. I was feeling very scared and when the sun rose, I took my belongings and left and returned to Guwahati,” Mekhail claimed. Mekhail’s deposition will continue on Wednesday.