Mikhail was in Mumbai during Sheena’s murder: New revelations make case murkier

Mikhail Bora, brother of murder victim Sheena Bora and son of accused Indrani Mukerjea has been a crucial link in the case ever since he first confirmed the truth about the two women’s relationship to media from Guwahati. Bora went on air on different news channels and not only confirmed that Indrani was their mother, but also that the two women didn’t get long very well. Speaking from his native Guwahati, he a lso claimed to know the motivation behind the murder and had evidence to back it up but would only reveal it if Indrani didn’t confess. Day later, Mikhail  was flown down to Mumbai and questioned by the police for almost the entire day. It was then that he revealed that he was actually in Mumbai on the day the crime allegedly took place, a fact that he hadn’t mentioned in his numerous interactions with the media before. [caption id=“attachment_2413110” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Mikhail Bora. IBNLive[/caption] A report by The Times of India says that Mikhail told the police that a few days before Sheena went missing, Indrani had called him to Mumbai when her husband Peter was abroad. The reports quotes a senior police officer saying that Mikhail said that he had been called to discuss Sheena’s marriage where a sedative was slipped in his drink. The report says that he felt giddy after that and fled when Indrani left to bring Sheena. Mikhail’s statement to the police allegedly says that their mother planned to kill them both on the same day however he managed to escape. What’s stands out about this statement is the fact that Mikhail may have had some inkling of the fate that befell Sheena, if he had feared for his life and escaped. His new revelation raises some uncomfortable questions. If he had realised he was drugged and then fled, would he not have tried to secure his sister’s safety. Did he go to the police? Who did he turn to in Mumbai when he ‘fled’ from his mother’s clutches? However, he had earlier, in Guwahati, said that he could be the ’next target’. “I do not know. I may be the next target of my mother. She is very powerful. She can do anything she wants,” he had told the media. Meanwhile, Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria has mentioned that Mikhail gave them several angles and that they are verifying them. What makes these new developments even murkier is a report by The Telegraph that suggests that Mikhail operated Sheena’s online and personal communication after her death. Quoting a relative of the family, the report says that Mikhail  had emailed his sister’s resignation letter to her employer 13 days after she is said to have been killed. The unnamed relative also added that he did so at Indrani’s behest. The Telegraph has also quoted another senior police officer saying that Mikhail sent a letter to Sheena’s landlord in Mumbai in 2012, posted a photograph of their mother on her Facebook page in 2014 and kept her LinkedIn profile active till 2 weeks ago. The resignation letter was sent to her employers on 7 May 2012, and the letter to her landlord sometime in July 2012, both after Sheena’s supposed time of death. Earlier, Indrani was also accused of impersonating Sheena in online communication and breaking up with boyfriend Rahul Mukerjea, posing as Sheena. The relative has suggested that the motivation behind this would have been money as Indrani provided financial support to Mikhail and his grandparents. The relative claimed that Indrani tempted Mikhail with the promise of money, threatened him with withdrawal of his monthly quota of pocket money and blackmailed him with his alleged past brush with drugs, continued The Telegraph report. While it is not clear whether Mikhail had assumed Sheena’s identity in communication, it must be noted that in previous interactions with the media he had mentioned that he had no contact with his sister since 2012 and that her Facebook account was deactivated in 2011. About the impersonated communication, Maria has said that the police have traced the person who used Sheena’s signature. He  told the media , “With regard to Sheena Bora’s resignation letter, letter to landlord, we have traced the person who gave the signature of Sheena.” He added that they also have a fair idea bout the motive. As for Mikhail being in Mumbai at the time of the murder, the relative confirmed that he was in the city. He was very much in Mumbai around the time but he does not seem to have known about the murder - he says he was perplexed when Indrani just sent him away from Mumbai and asked him never to come back. When he asked her about Sheena, Indrani had told him that she had been sent to rehab for excessive drinking," the relative is quoted as saying in  The Telegraph. Meanwhile,   NDTV quotes a source saying that Indrani was agitated when she met Mikhail during interrogation on Friday. She claimed that he was making false allegations against her as he had been demanding money but she had refused him. The part of Indrani providing him money ties in with his relatives claims. While the Sheena Bora murder mystery unravels everyday, it gets murkier. These recent revelations about her brother Mikhail suggests that there is more to the case that meets the eye.