Veteran Journalist J. Dey was killed for writing a book that showed Chotta Rajan in poor light in comparison to his former associate and underworld kingpin Dawood Ibrahim, according to a supplementary chargesheet filed by CBI before the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime (Act) court.
According to CBI, the motive for killing Dey in 2011 was the book that he was writing on the underworld.
Rajan, whose real name is Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje, ordered the hit on Dey for writing a book on the underworld that showed him poor light vis-a-vis India’s most wanted criminal, Dawood Ibrahim, says the chargesheet.
Dey, in the book, is said to have projected Rajan as ‘chindi’ or inconsequential and Dawood as the ‘don of Mumbai’. The chargesheet says that when Chotta Rajan got to know of this, he was so angry that he asked his men to kill Dey, The Hindustan Times quoted from the chargesheet.
The agency, in its charge sheet, has recorded statement of 41 witnesses while it made witness——Ravi Ram——an additional accused in the case.
"Ravi Ram was a witness earlier but he has emerged as a key link between Rajan and other accused," said a CBI officer. Ram had allegedly supplied 20 global sims on Rajan's instructions.
The CBI said they have also included transcripts of conversation between arrested journalist Jigna Vora and Rajan in the chargesheet.
The agency also said that FSL reports show that the recorded voice sample of Rajan matches with the intercepted conversations between Rajan and Jigna.
Last month, adjourning the hearing till 5 August, the court had said that it would go ahead with framing of charges as per the chargesheet earlier filed by Mumbai Police's Crime Branch if the agency failed to do so.
Special Public Prosecutor Bharat Badami had then informed the court that the agency had got some more evidence against the wanted accused Nayan Singh Bisht, and will be annexing it to the chargesheet.
Rajan was arrested at Bali airport in Indonesia on 25 October last year and deported to India. He is facing around 70 cases in Maharashtra, which include the J Dey murder case of 2011. The Maharashtra government has handed over all these cases to CBI.
Dey, a veteran crime reporter, was shot dead in suburban Powai on 11 June, 2011, allegedly at the behest of Rajan.
According to investigators, Rajan was upset with certain articles written by Dey about him.
The first chargesheet filed in 2011 names Satiah Kaliya, Abhijeet Shinde, Arun Dake, Sachin Gaikwad, Anil Waghmode, Nilesh Shendge, Mangesh Agawane, Vinod Asrani, Paulson Joseph and Deepak Sisodia (all arrested).
Another chargesheet was filed against journalist Jigna Vora the next year. Vora, accused of instigating Rajan against Dey owing to her own professional rivalry, is now out on bail.
