Gangster Chhota Rajan, prime accused in journalist Jyotirmoy Dey’s murder case, thought that the veteran crime reporter was working for his rival Dawood Ibrahim and Pakistan’s ISI, according to the charge sheet filed by CBI.
Dey was killed, allegedly upon Rajan’s instructions, in suburban Powai on 11 June 2011.
According to the CBI, Rajan told one Manoj on the phone that journalist Jigna Vora (a co-accused) used to tell him “repeatedly” that Dey “is writing wrong things and is in touch with the other gang”, and was a traitor.
Transcripts of Rajan’s telephonic conversations are part of the charge sheet filed by CBI in a local court last week.
Rajan further said that Dey was not a good person, and was working for Dawood and ISI.
Hand-In-Glove With “Traitors”
The charge sheet also contains statements of journalists with whom Rajan spoke over the phone, after Dey’s murder. He told one of them that he regretted killing Dey.
A news reporter has to remain in his limits and work ... if you are writing lies ... you are inviting serious trouble.Chhota Rajan
The charge sheet also contains statements of journalists with whom Rajan spoke on phone after Dey’s murder. Rajan told one of them that he regretted killing Dey.
According to another journalist, Rajan told him that Dey was hand-in-glove with “traitors”, and he killed Dey.
Rajan also spoke to one of the accused in the case, who died later, Vinod Asrani days after Dey’s murder and claimed responsibility for it, reports The Indian Express.
The CBI has sought the state government’s permission to intercept and use some of Rajan’s phone calls after being verified by the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL).
A Month Leading up to Dey’s Murder
Dey’s wife told CBI that for a month before his murder, he was very upset.
Once he told me that he was going to die but not due to an illness.Dey’s wife
According to Dey’s mother, around 15 days before his death he had told her that he would be visiting the Philippines.
A few days before his death she also received a call from the accused Vinod Chembur (who later died) enquiring about Dey.
Fifteen days prior to the murder Dey had signed an agreement with actor Ajay Devgn for writing a film script, she said.
Rajan Made “Polite” Phone Calls to Dey
A close friend of Dey’s told the investigators that Dey had told him that Rajan was calling him frequently. He found the gangster to be very “polite”.
I told him ... one should be alert ... because dons are polite when they want to deceive someone.Dey’s friend told CBI
On the day of the murder, Dey had told this friend and witness on the phone that Rajan had spoken to him again, recently.
As Dey was worried about getting frequent calls from Rajan, the witness suggested that he should see if he had made any mistakes (so as to offend the gangster).
Dey said so far he had done nothing wrong ... but he had shared a very secret information with Vinod Chembur and from that day calls from Rajan increased.
Dey Describes Rajan As “Chindi”, Rajan Is Not Thrilled
According to CBI, Rajan was upset with Dey over certain articles written by him, and also because Dey’s planned book described Rajan as “chindi” (a small fry).
The book, ‘Chindi – Rags to Riches’, was to tell stories of 20 gangsters with humble origins. It was supposed to describe Dawood, Rajan’s friend-turned-foe, as being superior to the gangster.
Rajan was arrested at Bali airport in Indonesia on 25 October last year and deported to India.
The 300-page charge sheet against him was filed at the special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act court last week.
(With inputs from PTI and The Indian Express)
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