Kept as sister. Killed as daughter!

Arrest of Indrani Mukerjea, a prominent Indian TV executive and wife of Peter Mukerjea, the former CEO of Star India has brought to light the dubious life that she was leading. Indrani is accused of murdering Sheeena Bora, a woman thought to have been her sister.

She is accused of ordering her driver to kill Bora and of disposing of the body three years ago. Mukerjea and the driver were charged with kidnapping, murder and destroying the evidence. In a fact-stranger-than-fiction turn of events, it was revealed that Bora was not Indrani Mukerjea’s sister, but rather her daughter from an earlier marriage.

Indian media today reported that, prior to her death in 2012, Bora was dating Rahul, one of Peter Mukerjea’s sons from his previous marriage, but that Peter Mukerjea did not know that she was his wife’s child. Peter and Indrani Mukerjea married in 2002 when he was head of the News Corp backed company and she worked in its human resources department. While Bora’s relationship may have been a cause for anxiety, media reports suggest the motive was more likely financial. After leaving Star in 2007, Indrani established INX and Peter managed its two specialty TV channels, 9X and Bollywood music channel 9XM. The Mukerjeas exited the company in 2009 with the news channel bought by Zee and the renamed rump acquired by Singaporean sovereign wealth fund Temasek.

Driver was given 1 lakh. Told to keep quiet

Shyam Rai, who allegedly spilled the beans about the involvement of Indrani Mukerjea in her daughter Sheena’s murder, has told the police that he was paid Rs1 lakh for the job. Rai also told the police that he was threatened that if he told anyone about the murder, then he too would meet the same fate, a leading daily from India reported citing sources.

As per the information provided by Rai to the police during his interrogation, Khanna and Indrani had taken his help in the murder. “Rai has told the police that he was given clear instructions not to reveal anything to anyone under any circumstances,” said an officer privy to the investigation.

Rai claimed that he was in need of money and got a 7.56mm pistol from one of his contacts, which he wanted to sell to earn some quick cash. The police got a whiff of this deal and nabbed Rai on August 21, after which he revealed his involvement in a murder, which turned out to be of Sheena. The police then questioned and later arrested Indrani for her alleged involvement in the case.

Brother was told Sheena working Abroad

Meanwhile news channels also spoke to Mikhail Bora, Sheena’s brother who confirmed the fact that Indrani was their mother.

When asked whether Indrani and Sheena had any reason for conflict, he said,”Yes, many times.”I want her to reveal everything herself.After 31 September when I come to know that she has admitted everything. If she lies, I will give every evidence. I have all the evidence and photos. I will provide it to the media,” he said.

Speaking to a leading TV channel from India  Bora said that his sister had been living with him and his grandparents in Guwahati for a long time and Indrani had been living in Mumbai. He said that Sheena had gone to Mumbai to study in St Xavier’s college after which she had been working in Mumbai.

“In 2012 she came here for a wedding of her friend. After that she has no contact,” he said. Mikhail said that he had always asked his mother where his elder sister was but had received vague answers. “She always replied she was abroad. She said Sheena had got a job there,” he told the channel.

He said that he had stopped asking questions about Sheena since he was dependent on funds from Indrani to take care of his ailing grandparents and she had threatened to cut him off.

Husban shown pictures of Sheena celebrating Diwali

Indrani’s husband Peter has now gone on to say that he was completely unaware of the whole affair and was in a state of shock.

Reacting to the revelations, Peter told a TV channel that he had no clue about this fact. He further said that Sheena and her son were introduced to him as Indrani as her siblings. He added that the revelations are shocking to him.

Peter claimed that Sheena had an affair with his younger son and that Indrani did not approve of their relationship. He said that he did not know about the conversations between Sheena and Indrani used to be in Assamese, and so he did not understand them.

“When she disappeared in 2012, I was told that she was studying in the US. I asked Indrani and she showed me pictures of Sheena at a Diwali function there,” Mukherjea said.

Admitting that he was completely stumped by the police action of nabbing Indrani Mukherjea, he said: “I am dumbstruck by this level of criminality…”

How Sheena went missing

Sheena studied in St Xavier’s College in Mumbai, and according to her LinkedIn profile, was employed with Reliance ADAG when she disappeared in 2012. She was 24-years-old at the time.

A missing persons complaint had been filed in May 2012 at the Khar police station after Sheena, who lived in the suburb was untraceable. According to media reports from India, same time the police had found partially burned remains of a woman’s body near a farm house in Lonavala.