Vidhie Mukerjea, a key prosecution witness in the Sheena Bora murder case, submitted an affidavit in a Mumbai court on Thursday stating that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had recorded her statement following the arrest of her mother in 2015, news agency PTI reported. This contradicts her earlier deposition two days ago, in which she had denied giving any statement and claimed that documents in the CBI charge sheet were “forged and fabricated.”

The 28-year-old is the daughter of former media executive Indrani and her ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna, both accused in the decade-long sensational case. Sheena Bora, the victim, was Indrani’s daughter from an earlier relationship.

Vidhie said she had prepared the affidavit in 2022 for submission in case she was “physically unavailable for deposition before the court”.

According to the affidavit, she resides in Spain and visits Mumbai only during holidays, reported PTI. She has been deposing as a witness for the past three days, submitting her affidavit on Thursday, marking the conclusion of her deposition.

In the affidavit, Vidhie stated, “My statement was recorded by the CBI after my mother’s arrest in 2015, when I was living at Marlow in Worli with my stepfather Peter Mukerjea, the Mukerjea family, and Rahul (Peter’s son). I had just turned 18 and was confused and scared due to my mother’s arrest.”

She also provided details about her family relationships and said her mother, who later married Peter and divorced him in 2019, never insisted that Bora call her “didi (elder sister)” or Peter “Jij (brother-in-law),” and treated Peter’s sons, Rabin and Rahul, as older brothers. She added that Rahul never regarded her and Sheena as younger sisters and harboured a grudge against Indrani for marrying Peter, reported PTI.

The affidavit further alleged that Rahul maintained emotional distance, kept Sheena away from the family between 2009 and 2012, and would “spy” on her. Vidhie said she never warned Sheena about threats from Indrani, refuting claims reportedly made by Rahul in court, and alleged that he pressured her to support his version of events after Indrani’s arrest.

Vidhie also clarified that Indrani never informed her that Bora was in the US, studying, or married to a diamond merchant, contrary to claims made by the prosecution.

On Thursday, Vidhie was cross-examined by Peter’s lawyer, Manjula Rao.

When questioned about her book ‘Devil’s Daughter`, she said she no longer stands by its contents and has regretted writing it for the past four years. She explained that she could not stop its publication because the publishing house had shut down and her attempt to issue a public notice correcting the book’s content failed.

According to the prosecution, Sheena Bora, 24, was strangled in a car in Mumbai on April 24, 2012, by Indrani Mukerjea, driver Shyamvar Rai (who later turned approver), and Sanjeev Khanna. Her body was allegedly burnt and disposed of in a forest in Raigad district. The case, initially investigated by the Mumbai Police, was later taken over by the CBI.

(With PTI inputs)

This article first appeared on Mid Day