Murder most foul

Sleaze, betrayal, family feud come to fore in three-year-old Shee Bora murder case

Indrani Mukerjea, the wife of former Star India CEO, confessed to the Mumbai police, that Shee was not her sister, as she had always claimed, but her daughter

Our Bureau & Agencies

Mumbai/ Guwahati, Aug 26: The three-year-old murder of Shee Bora unfolded on Wednesday stories of sleaze, betrayal and family feud as police arrested a former husband of Indrani, the wife of former media honcho Peter Mukherjea and the victim's alleged mother who is already in custody.

Peter Mukherjea, the former CEO of INX Media, made a stunning disclosure on Wednesday that Shee had an affair with his son Rahul but he wasn't aware that Shee was in reality Indrani's daughter and not her sister.

As the until now closely held secrets became public knowledge, Mumbai Police arrested Sanjeev Khan, a former husband of Indrani, in Kolkata on Wednesday.

In Guwahati, Indrani's son Mikhail Bora revealed that Shee was his sister, that Indrani had mothered both of them and this could be easily be proved by a D test.

"The real reason behind the murder is something else, which I don't want to reveal now," he said, hinting at some dark secrets.

"I want her (Indrani) to speak the truth. If she does not, then I have got proof, documents and photographs which I shall reveal to the media."

Discussing Shee's relationship with his son, Peter Mukherjea said he chose to overlook it as both were adults and could take their own decisions.

"Shee was in a relationship with my son which Indrani disapproved of," he told the media.

Mukherjea also told TV channels that he had "no clue" that Shee was actually Indrani's daughter from an earlier marriage and not her sister as she had told him.

Soon after the television statements, a team of Mumbai Police landed up at Mukherjea's Khar residence to question him.

Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria said Shee was murdered on April 24, 2012. Her body was found on May 23 that year after Indrani's driver Shyam Rai revealed the murder site to police.

Both Indrani and the driver were arrested on Tuesday on charges of killing Shee and disposing off her body in Raigad, near Mumbai. A court sent Indrani to police custody till August 31.

Shee had been employed as an assistant mager with Mumbai Metro One Pvt. Ltd. since June 20, 2011. She took leave of absence on April 24, 2012, the day she was killed. Mumbai Metro said she sent her resigtion while on leave.

Mukherjea said he was "mentally very shocked" and stumped by his wife's arrest. "I am dumbstruck by this level of crimility."

"Shee was having an affair with my son... When she disappeared in 2012, I was told she was studying in the US. I asked Indrani and she showed me pictures of Shee at a Diwali function there," Mukherjea said.

This was corroborated by Mikhail Bora.

Revealing gory details, Mikhail said Indrani had a son (he himself) and a daughter (Shee) from a boyfriend while studying in Shillong.

Indrani left for Kolkata in the early 1990s, leaving the minor children with her parents in Guwahati where they grew up.

After completing schooling, after encountering fincial difficulties, the siblings went searching for Indrani in Mumbai.

"She was not willing to introduce us to anyone as her son and daughter. After spending some time in Mumbai, I came back to be with my grandparents in Guwahati while Shee stayed back there."

He said he was in touch with Shee till 2012 but lost all contact with his elder sister after that.

He said when he asked his mother about her whereabouts, she replied that Shee had gone to the US and was working for a big company.

But she refused to share Shee's contact details and kept saying that he should not interfere in Shee's life.

"Last year, when my mother came to Guwahati and I sought details about Shee, she not only became angry but threatened to stop sending whatever pocket money she sent every month," Mikhail said.

"It is a shock to learn that Shee was murdered by our mother. But she can do it," he added.