Indrani, Peter wanted Rahul and Sheena to separate: Witness

A former employee of INX Media told a court here Thursday that Indrani Mukerjea and her husband Peter were not happy with the relationship between her daughter Sheena and Peter's son from an earlier marriage Rahul.

Indrani and Peter, now an estranged couple, are facing trial along with Indrani's former husband Sanjeev Khanna for allegedly killing Sheena Bora, her daughter from an earlier relationship, in April 2012.

The witness, an MBA graduate, was working with the Mukerjea company INX Services from 2000 to 2007. Later he was shifted to INX Media, which he quit in 2009.

The prosecuting agency CBI's claim is that Indrani and Peter were not happy with the relationship between Sheena and Rahul. The agency has also cited financial disputes as one of the reasons for the killing.

The witness told the special CBI court here that he had visited the Mukerjeas' house in Worli in central Mumbai many times.

Indrani introduced Sheena to him as her sister at the INX office in 2003, he said.

In 2008, he was asked to accompany Indrani and Peter to a place in suburban Khar where Sheena and Rahul were staying together, he said.

"Indrani wanted to bring Sheena back home and even Peter was not happy with the relationship. They wanted Sheena and Rahul to separate," the witness said.

Peter wanted Rahul to settle down professionally before getting into any relationship, he said.

The Mumbai police arrested Indrani in August 2015 for allegedly killing Sheena Bora inside a car on April 24, 2012, and disposing of the body. The CBI, which took over the case later, arrested Peter Mukerjea for allegedly being party to the conspiracy.