Statement of a witness in the charge sheet of the J. Dey murder case is one of the “key” evidences against journalist Jigna Vora who allegedly instigated underworld don Chhota Rajan to order the killing of the veteran reporter, a Crime Branch official said.
This statement mentioned in the 3,055-page charge sheet is “pivotal and key” testimonial evidence, which states that Rajan had ordered the murder of Dey and that Vora instigated the killing, the official said.
The witness, who is a kin of arrested accused Vinod Asrani, had spoken to Rajan after the murder, when the latter had told the former that he regretted killing Dey, the official added.
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“The witness told us that Rajan called him and stated that he was regretting the murder of Dey and claimed that Mr. Jigna had incited him. The witness’ statement was recorded under under Section 164 of the CrPC before a magistrate. His statement is attached with the charge sheet,” he said.
Nearly six months after the murder of Jyotirmoy Dey, the city police yesterday filed the charge sheet against 12 accused, including fugitive gangster Chhota Rajan, in the special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court.
The charge sheet did not name the recently arrested accused Vora, Deputy Bureau Chief of ‘The Asian Age’ A separate supplementary charge sheet, elaborating Vora’s role in the crime, will be filed later, police said.
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Dey, working with city-based tabloid Mid Day, was shot dead in suburban Powai on June 11 by assailants, who followed him on motorcycles at the behest of Rajan, who gave Rs. 5 lakh to the accused for the murder contract, police said.
Rajan had apparently ordered Dey’s killing as the latter had written articles against him.