My father was never opposed by my relationship with Sheena: Rahul

Rahul was cross examined by Peter’s lawyer Manjula Rao on Friday when he gave that statement. “It was true that Peter was never against my relations with Sheena. My father conveyed to me that Indrani’s family was not happy about my relations with Sheena,” he said

Mumbai Rahul Mukerjea, a prosecution witness in the Sheena Bora murder case, on Friday told the special CBI court that his father Peter Mukerjea was never against his relationship with Sheena. In fact, he claimed, that it was Indrani’s family which had objections over his relationship with her.

Mumbai : A file photo of Rahul Mukerjea and Sheena Bora. Mumbai police on Thursday questioned Rahul Mukerjea in connection with the Sheena Bora murder case. PTI Photo (PTI8_27_2015_000272B) (PTI)

Rahul was cross examined by Peter’s lawyer Manjula Rao on Friday when he gave that statement. “It was true that Peter was never against my relations with Sheena. My father conveyed to me that Indrani’s family was not happy about my relations with Sheena,” he said.

The statement assumes importance in view of the fact that the prosecution claimed that Rahul’s relationship with Sheena was the motive behind her murder and Peter was also roped in the case for his alleged role in the conspiracy, claiming he too was against the relationship. Rahul and Sheena were engaged before she abruptly went missing on April 24, 2012. The crime, however, came to light in 2015, when Rai was arrested in some other case.

In his cross-examination on Friday, Rahul also revealed that two to three months after Sheena and Rahul began staying together, they had met Peter and Indrani at Peter’s house in Worli. At that time, Rahul said, he had asked Sheena to disclose to Peter that she was actually Indrani’s daughter.

“In Indrani’s presence, Peter asked Sheena about her relationship with Indrani. Back then, Sheena said she was Indrani’s sister. Later, I had found out as to why Sheena had not disclosed her true relation with Indrani. Sheena later told me that her grandparents were dependent on Indrani and if she had told the truth, they all would have suffered,” Rahul told the court on Friday.

He added that Indrani had then asked Peter to not interfere with her family matters and her relations.

Rahul also mentioned that Sheena had once showed him a will allegedly made by Peter, but Rahul said the sign on that was not of his father’s. “Sheena had shown me the will of my father Peter allegedly signed by him when we were at Guwahati. As per the said will the flat in Delhi would go to Sheena after she attains a certain age. I immediately recognized that the said signature was not of my father. I did inform the said fact to Sheena immediately,” Rahul told the court.

He also told the court that he was not aware about the account held in Syndicate Bank in joint names of Indrani, Peter and him. He also said that he was not even aware that Indrani, through her lawyer, had withdrawn Peter’s name from the said account and later Peter had made application before the court with that regard.