Mumbai: Seven years after the murder of journalist Jyotirmoy Dey, a special Mumbai court sentenced gangster Chhota Rajan to life imprisonment on Wednesday.
Rajan and nine others were convicted for the crime committed in 2011, earlier in the day.
The verdict was announced by Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act Court, which had reserved its decision on April 3. Two journalists Jigna Vohra, who was accused of instigating Chhota Rajan for the murder, and Joseph Paulsen were acquitted by the Court.
Dey was working as a crime reporter with Midday Eveninger, when he was shot dead while returning home at Powai. Though Rajan had denied any involvement in the murder, he was one of 12 accused in the case. He had allegedly hired a contract killer for Rs 5 5lakh for the killing.
In November 2015, the gangster was deported from Bali in Indonesia and was made an accused in the case. He is currently lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail.
According to Central Bureau of Investigation, Rajan was not happy with Dey’s articles and hence hired a killer to eliminate him. Apparently, Dey was also writing about 20 gangsters who came from humble backgrounds. The book titled ‘Chindi – rags to riches,’ was supposed to be an expose on Rajan.
“Dey was going to expose the fake patriotic mask used by him (Rajan) to secure himself and to accumulate wealth for his family. The book was to have that Rajan had no concern for those who made him big,” the chargesheet mentioned.
There are also reports that Dey was working for Dawood Ibrahim, the arch rival of Rajan, and was writing wrong things against him.
