MUMBAI: The Mumbai Crime Branch claimed to have made a major breakthrough in the J Dey murder case late on Sunday night. Seven people were picked up from Mumbai, Solapur and Mangalore. It was a contract killing, said police officials, but refused to elaborate on the motive. The cops said they were on the verge of solving the case. The seven suspects will be produced in the Esplanade court on Monday. Mumbai police commissioner Arup Patnaik, who is likely to address a press conference on the issue on Monday, was tightlipped on Sunday.
Jyotirmoy Dey's murder whodunit continues to fox the police, and the underworld. Two weeks after the senior crime reporter with a Mumbai tabloid was gunned down by bike-borne assailants in Powai, the chhota dons of the city are fuming at their names being dragged into the case.
" B******! Yeh kaam mera nahi hai. Agar maine kiya hota to mujhe credit lene me kisika dar nahi hai. Itne cases hain, ek aur sahi. Main un logo ko barabar karunga (This is not my job. If I had done it I would have taken credit for it. One more case against me will not make any difference. I will take care of the killers)," fugitive gangster Chhota Shakeel told TOI after his name figured in the police list of suspects.
With the police still unsure about the killers, the gangsters' professional curiosity has been pricked and they have activated their networks to track down Dey's killers. "Do din pehle, police meri madad maang rahi thi, lekin main hairan ho gaya jab mera naam isme ghasita gaya. Main khud pata laga raha hoon ye kaam kisne kiya hai (Two days ago, police had sought my help but I am surprised to see my name being dragged into it. I am trying to find out who has done it)," said Shakeel.
Shakeel's rival Chhota Rajan and lesser-known gangsters Vijay Shetty and Santosh Shetty, who are in hiding abroad, too have started a parallel probe to trace the killers. Obviously, the police heat and the media glare are getting their goat.
"Dey reported on the underworld and spoke to some of the gangsters for information. Our informers said he did not misuse it, '' said a senior police official. Dey wrote extensively on Shakeel and of late, has been writing on Chhota Rajan, another officer said.
Chhota Rajan, with whom Dey often spoke, has also denied his role and told some police officers that he would assist them in finding the killers. "This development took place after the police suspected that Rajan aide Umaid-ur-Rehman was involved in the killing when a news report on his family was wrongly attributed to Dey,'' a police officer said.
Vijay Shetty and Santosh Shetty, who were earlier with Rajan and are believed to be hiding in Switzerland, too joined the chorus. Santosh Shetty had last year killed dreaded gangster Bharat Nepali and recently made an attempt to kill Fahim Shah, a cable operator in Nepal. Shetty, who is media-savvy, told TOI, "Dey was a very good reporter and I have spoken to him on a few occasions. He was sincere in his work and craved for exclusive stories. Some officers sent me a message asking me whether I had anything to do with Dey's killing. I have told them that I myself was making inquiries from my sources to find the main conspirator,'' said Santosh Shetty.
A senior IPS officer who was close to Dey, said the slain scribe had written extensively on several subjects ranging from bookies, gambling and environment issues to oil mafias and the underworld. "The gangsters must have read it,'' he said.
Police sources have ruled out the role of gangsters Hemant Pujari and Ravi Pujari because both of them are known to enjoy claiming responsibility for killings they have undertaken.
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