Mumbai: Under world don Chota Rajan was today held guilty for murder of a journalist Jyotirmoy Dey who was gunned down in suburban Mumbai. In nearly seven years of trial, the special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act Court (MCOCA) here found gangster Chhota Rajan guilty of Journalist Jyotimoy murder. Whereas, accused scribes Jigna Vora and Joseph Paulson have been acquitted in the case.
Besides Rajan nine of his henchmen have been convicted as well which includes Rohit Thangappan alias Satish Kaliya, Anil Waghmode, Abhijeet Shinde, Nilesh Shendge, Arun Dhake, Mangesh Agawane, Sachin Gaikwad, Deepak Sisodia, Vinod Asrani (dead). The court will pronounce their sentences at 5 pm today.
Dey, a veteran crime journalist who had extensively covered Mumbai underworld for over two decades, was shot dead in broad daylight, by gangster Chhota Rajan’s men, in June 2011. Rajan is believed to have killed Dey as he suspected that the journalist was working for his arch-rival Dawood Ibrahim, while another journalist Jigna Vora allegedly instigated Rajan against Dey owing to professional rivalry.
Dey, 56, the Editor (Investigations) of Midday eveninger, was shot down near his home in Mumbai’s Powai by assailants who were riding their bikes. The police cracked the case within a fortnight and arrested seven sharpshooters of the Chhota Rajan gang. However, the case was later handed over to the CBI after Rajan was deported from Indonesia’s Bali to India in 2015, and subsequently made an accused in the case.
The investigations were initially conducted by police but were taken over by the Crime Branch due to its ramifications.
There was a sensational twist to the case when police arrested Vora, then Deputy Bureau Chief of The Asian Age, Mumbai, on November 25, 2011, besides 10 others. It emerged during the probe that Vora was allegedly in regular contact with Chhota Rajan and provoked him to eliminate Dey.
In June 2015, the Special MCOCA court framed charges against the remaining 10 accused, including Vora.
The accused are Rohit Thangappan Joseph alias Satish Kalya, 28; Abhijeet Kasharam Shinde, 27; Arun Janardhan Dake, 27; Sachin Suresh Gaikwad, 35; Anil Bhanudas Waghmode, 35; Nilesh Narayan Shendge alias Bablu, 34; Mangesh Damodar Agawane, 25 (all who conducted recce and/or were shooters); Jigna Vora; weapon supplier Deepak Sisodia, 28, of Dehradun; Joseph Paulson, 43; Vinod Chembur (since deceased).
After Chhota Rajan’s arrest, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the Dey murder probe and made him an accused in a supplementary chargesheet.
As much as Rs 500,000 was paid for the contract killing, including Rs 200,000 as advance.
According to Special Public Prosecutor Pradip Gharat, three accused had got recorded in the court their confessional statements on their roles in the crime. A total of 155 witnesses were examined during the trial.
“Chhota Rajan’s deposition was recorded via video conferencing from Tihar jail. He is not likely to be brought here for the verdict,” he added.
Dey had authored two books: “Khallas: An A to Z Guide to the Underworld”, and “Zero Dial: The Dangerous World of Informers”, and was penning his third book, “Chindi: Rags to Riches”.
He had reportedly portrayed the mafia don as ‘Chindi’ (petty) in his upcoming book, which apparently irked Chhota Rajan