Kolkata resident claims he is the father of Sheena, Mikhail

Kolkata: Siddhartha Das, who claims to be the biological father of Sheena Bora riding a motorcycle at a road in Kolkata on Tuesday morning. PTI Photo (PTI9_1_2015_000092A)

A week after former INX CEO Indrani Mukherjea was arrested in connection with the murder of Sheena Bora, a resident of Kolkata, Siddharth Das, appeared before the media on Tuesday and claimed that he is the biological father of both Sheena and Mikhail Bora.

During his interaction with the media during the day — in the streets and outside the office of television channels — Mr. Das, who hid his face with either a helmet and a handkerchief, maintained he had “no connection with Indrani since 1989”.

“It was a closed chapter for me”, he said.

In his early fifties, Mr. Das claimed that he had been living in Kolkata since 1998. He claimed that he was “happily married with a wife and son”.

“I am a simple man with a small salary. If I show my face, I may be sacked. I live in a rented place and may be asked to leave the apartment,” he explained to journalists when asked why he was covering his face.

Promising all cooperation to the police in the murder probe, Mr. Das said that he was forced to come out and speak to the media after there were reports that he had fled to Bangladesh.

Having met Indrani in Shillong through common friends in 1986, Mr. Das said he was in a live-in relationship with her till 1989 when she “dumped” him.

“We did not marry. We had a live-in relationship and I stayed at her residence [in Guwahati] and her parents had agreed,” he said.

Mr. Das recollected that Sheena was born in 1987 and Mikhail in 1988. Expressing shock over Sheena’s murder, he said that he had learnt about the developments through the media.

“I last spoke to Sheena when she was in Class 10. I have never interacted with Mikhail” he said.

Mr. Das said that he was willing to produce the birth certificates of both the children and asserted that he was ready to undergo a DNA test to affirm he is the father of Sheena and Mikhail.

Demanding punishment for Indrani if she was guilty, Mr. Das said money could be a motive behind Sheena’s murder. “Indrani had dreams of having a nice home, a high lifestyle. So, may be, money could be the reason,” he said.

Mr. Das said his wife and son were now aware of his past and they were not troubled by it. His wife urged the media to leave them alone.