Rajan’s phone talk part of Dey killing chargesheet

MUMBAI: “Mujse galti ho gayi hai Dey ko mar ke, lekin mujhe Jigna Vora ne bhadkaya aur usne mujhe Dey ke do article bhi bheje jisme mere bare me negative lika tha (I regret Dey’s murder, but Jigna Vora instigated me by sending me two articles by Dey in which he showed me in a negative light)” is what gangster Chhota Rajan allegedly told the kin of Vinod Asrani, co-accused in J Dey’s murder, over phone.This statement is now part of the 3,055-page chargesheet filed before the special MCOCA court on Saturday.
On June 11, senior journalist Dey, who was returning home after meeting his mother at Ghatkopar, was shot dead in Powai by some motorcycle-borne accused.
Special public prosecutor Dilip Shah said Vora had not been mentioned in the chargesheet as investigations were still on against her. But a pro forma has been attached to the chargesheet mentioning her as the 11th arrested accused. The investigating agency told the court that they would file a supplementary chargesheet against her in a couple of weeks.
The nine-volume chargesheet gives details of 10 people , also accused of killing Dey: sharpshooter Joseph Tangappa Kalia, Arun Dhake who sat pillion on Kalia’s motorcycle and shot Dey, Abhijeet Shinde, Sachin Gaikwad, Mangesh Agawane and Mangesh Shendge who followed Dey in a jeep from Ghatkopar, Vinod Asrani who identified Dey to the shooters, and Joseph Paulson who supplied international roaming SIM cards to the rest. They have been booked on charges of conspiracy, murder and common intention besides various provisions of the Arms Act and MCOCA. Chhota Rajan and Nayan Singh Bisht, who supplied weapons in Nainital, have been shown as wanted accused.
Though the police said they were yet to come to a final conclusion about the motive behind Dey’s killing, sources said the officials had hinted in the chargesheet that rivalry among gangsters could be a reason. According to a source, Rajan believed that Dey had switched his loyalty from him to his arch rival Chhota Shakeel. Rajan also suspected that Dey, in connivance with Shakeel, was planning to kill him in London or Philliphines, the source added.
“We don’t need to show the motive behind Dey’s killing and so, we did not get into it. But we have cited two articles by Dey, dated May 31 and June 2 (Did Rajan plan hit on Kaskar? and Is Rajan gang off to pilgrimage), which irked Rajan who ordered his killing ,” said Himanshu Roy, JCP (crime). In the sanction application , the police said such articles adversely affected the gang’s leadership and its illegal activities. So Dey’s murder was ordered to send out the message that Rajan would continue with the nefarious activities and was still at the helm of the underworld.
Murtuza, who filed an application in court on Friday saying he wanted to return four SIM cards and mobiles given to him by Vora, withdrew his plea without stating the reason.