Jyotirmoy Dey
Encyclopedia
Jyotirmoy Dey also known as Jyotendra Dey, Commander J, and J Dey, was an India
n journalist, crime and investigations editor for MiD DAY (a tabloid newspaper published in several cities in India) and an expert on the Mumbai underworld.
He was shot dead by motorcycle-borne sharpshooters on 11 June 2011.
enthusiast, he first started writing on forest encroachment and the man-animal conflict in Borivali National Park. A story about government departments taking away land in the reserved national park created a furore in the state legislature.
He started his journalistic career as a freelancer with Afternoon Despatch and Courier
writing about crime
in the wildlife areas. He also dabbled in photojournalism
. He then started free lancing for Mid Day before joining them full time. He joined Indian Express in 1996 and soon switched to covering crime stories, especially on Mumbai underworld. In 2005, he joined Hindustan Times
. He later re-joined MiD Day as crime and investigations editor.
Dey had authored two books on underworld activities, Zero Dial: The Dangerous World of Informers and Khallas. He has done many reports on underworld dons Dawood Ibrahim
and Chhota Rajan
.
after meeting his mother Bina Dey on his motorcycle on 11 June 2011 around 3PM, he was shot dead by four unidentified motorcycle-borne gunmen in Hiranandani Gardens
, Powai
, Mumbai
. He was taken to Powai Hospital but they did not have the facilities so he was rushed to Hiranandani hospital later. He was reported dead on arrival, with nine exit wounds on his body, at the Hiranandani hospital.
The police
believe the murder was a professional job, and may be related to his reporting on the oil mafia. The oil mafia, which pilfers oil being transported and also dilutes it before sale, has been under pressure since the killing of Yashwant Sonawane
in January 2011. He had also recently reported that Chhota Rajan
was the mastermind behind a murder attempt on don Dawood's brother, Iqbal Kaskar, in Mumbai.
The murder was widely denounced by the press
and the local government
.
. Several media persons met the state's chief minister, Prithviraj Chavan
, to put forth their demand of handing over the case to the CBI. The chief minister remained adamant that the integrity of Mumbai Police should not be underestimated and the police should be given time to crack the case.
On 27 June 2011, after sixteen days of investigations, the Crime Branch declared they have cracked the case. Police officials caught seven people from different locations of India. Of which three were detained from Chembur
, in Mumbai; one in Solapur
; and remaining two from Rameshwaram, in Tamil Nadu. All the suspects reside in different parts of Mumbai except Satish Kalia, who settled down in Trivandrum after the birth of his daughter and cases against him were cleared. After the shootout they fled to evade arrest. All the seven suspects Rohit Thangappan Joseph alias Satish Kalia, Arun Dake, Anil Waghmode, Bablu, Sachin Gaikwad, Mangesh and Chotu are history-sheeters. The suspects were allegedly from Chhota Rajan
gang. Additional Police Commissioner (Crime) Himanshu Roy, who was supervising the case said in a press conference that Chhota Rajan approached Satish Kalia who in turn organised the team to carry the shootout. Satish Kalia was the man who shot J Dey, said the police. The commissioner also added the shootout was carried out on the behest of Chhota Rajan, and the shooters were allegedly kept in dark about the profession of Jyotirmoy Dey.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n journalist, crime and investigations editor for MiD DAY (a tabloid newspaper published in several cities in India) and an expert on the Mumbai underworld.
He was shot dead by motorcycle-borne sharpshooters on 11 June 2011.
Career
Dey started his career with Hindustan Lever. A wildlifeWildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
enthusiast, he first started writing on forest encroachment and the man-animal conflict in Borivali National Park. A story about government departments taking away land in the reserved national park created a furore in the state legislature.
He started his journalistic career as a freelancer with Afternoon Despatch and Courier
Afternoon (newspaper)
The Afternoon Despatch & Courier is an evening tabloid in Mumbai, India. The newspaper was launched by the late Behram Contractor, better known as "Busybee", on March 25, 1985.Its current Editor is Carol Andrade....
writing about crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
in the wildlife areas. He also dabbled in photojournalism
Photojournalism
Photojournalism is a particular form of journalism that creates images in order to tell a news story. It is now usually understood to refer only to still images, but in some cases the term also refers to video used in broadcast journalism...
. He then started free lancing for Mid Day before joining them full time. He joined Indian Express in 1996 and soon switched to covering crime stories, especially on Mumbai underworld. In 2005, he joined Hindustan Times
Hindustan Times
Hindustan Times is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded in 1924 with roots in the Indian independence movement of the period ....
. He later re-joined MiD Day as crime and investigations editor.
Dey had authored two books on underworld activities, Zero Dial: The Dangerous World of Informers and Khallas. He has done many reports on underworld dons Dawood Ibrahim
Dawood Ibrahim
Dawood Ibrahim , also known as Dawood Ebrahim, and Sheikh Dawood Hassan, is the head of the organized crime syndicate [[D-Company]] in Mumbai. He is currently on the wanted list of Interpol for organised crime and counterfeiting. He was No. 4 on the Forbes' World's Top 10 most dreaded criminals...
and Chhota Rajan
Chhota Rajan
Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje alias Chhota Rajan is the boss of a major crime syndicate based in India. He is a former key aide and lieutenant of Dawood Ibrahim. Starting as a petty thief and bootlegger working for Rajan Nair, also known as Bada Rajan . Chhota Rajan took over the reins of Bada Rajan's...
.
Personal life
He is survived by his wife Shubha Sharma, also a journalist, and his mother Bina Dey.Death
J Dey was going back home from GhatkoparGhatkopar
Ghatkopar is a suburban neighbourhood of eastern Mumbai. It is also a railway station serviced by Central Railway line of the Mumbai suburban railway.-History:...
after meeting his mother Bina Dey on his motorcycle on 11 June 2011 around 3PM, he was shot dead by four unidentified motorcycle-borne gunmen in Hiranandani Gardens
Hiranandani Gardens
Hiranandani Gardens is a township located in Powai, a northern suburb of Mumbai, India. The township is approachable by Adi Shankaracharya Marg , a part of Jogeshwari Vikhroli Link Road . The nearest Mumbai Suburban Railway station is Kanjurmarg and Vikhroli. It is named after the Hiranandani Group...
, Powai
Powai
Powai is a suburb situated in the north-east of the city of Mumbai, India. The word Powai comes from Padmavati a Hindu Goddess , whose temple is situated on the banks of Lake Powai...
, Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
. He was taken to Powai Hospital but they did not have the facilities so he was rushed to Hiranandani hospital later. He was reported dead on arrival, with nine exit wounds on his body, at the Hiranandani hospital.
The police
Mumbai Police
The Mumbai Police is the police force of the city of Mumbai, India. It has the primary responsibilities of law enforcement and investigation within the limits of Mumbai. The department's motto is ""...
believe the murder was a professional job, and may be related to his reporting on the oil mafia. The oil mafia, which pilfers oil being transported and also dilutes it before sale, has been under pressure since the killing of Yashwant Sonawane
Yashwant Sonawane
Yashwant Sonawane was the Additional District Collector of Malegaon . He was allegedly burnt alive by an oil adulteration mafia at Manmad near Nashik on 25 January 2011....
in January 2011. He had also recently reported that Chhota Rajan
Chhota Rajan
Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje alias Chhota Rajan is the boss of a major crime syndicate based in India. He is a former key aide and lieutenant of Dawood Ibrahim. Starting as a petty thief and bootlegger working for Rajan Nair, also known as Bada Rajan . Chhota Rajan took over the reins of Bada Rajan's...
was the mastermind behind a murder attempt on don Dawood's brother, Iqbal Kaskar, in Mumbai.
The murder was widely denounced by the press
News media
The news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...
and the local government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
.
Police investigation
The investigation of the Dey's murdered was handed over to the Crime Branch Department of Mumbai Police. Media persons from across different sections demanded that the investigations should be handed over to the CBICentral Bureau of Investigation
The Central Bureau of Investigation is a government agency of India that serves as a criminal investigation body, national security agency and intelligence agency. It was established on 1 April 1963 and evolved from the Special Police Establishment founded in 1941...
. Several media persons met the state's chief minister, Prithviraj Chavan
Prithviraj Chavan
Prithviraj Chavan is the current Chief Minister of Maharashtra. The Indian National Congress selected him to be the successor of Ashok Chavan. He is a Member of the Parliament of India representing Maharashtra in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament...
, to put forth their demand of handing over the case to the CBI. The chief minister remained adamant that the integrity of Mumbai Police should not be underestimated and the police should be given time to crack the case.
On 27 June 2011, after sixteen days of investigations, the Crime Branch declared they have cracked the case. Police officials caught seven people from different locations of India. Of which three were detained from Chembur
Chembur
Chembur is a suburban neighbourhood in eastern Mumbai, India. It is 22 km from downtown Mumbai and 20 km from Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport...
, in Mumbai; one in Solapur
Solapur
Solapur is a city in South Western Maharashtra, India governed by municipal corporation.Solapur is one of the four districts that form the region of Western Maharashtra . It is the fourth largest district in Maharashtra in terms of land area and seventh largest in terms of population...
; and remaining two from Rameshwaram, in Tamil Nadu. All the suspects reside in different parts of Mumbai except Satish Kalia, who settled down in Trivandrum after the birth of his daughter and cases against him were cleared. After the shootout they fled to evade arrest. All the seven suspects Rohit Thangappan Joseph alias Satish Kalia, Arun Dake, Anil Waghmode, Bablu, Sachin Gaikwad, Mangesh and Chotu are history-sheeters. The suspects were allegedly from Chhota Rajan
Chhota Rajan
Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje alias Chhota Rajan is the boss of a major crime syndicate based in India. He is a former key aide and lieutenant of Dawood Ibrahim. Starting as a petty thief and bootlegger working for Rajan Nair, also known as Bada Rajan . Chhota Rajan took over the reins of Bada Rajan's...
gang. Additional Police Commissioner (Crime) Himanshu Roy, who was supervising the case said in a press conference that Chhota Rajan approached Satish Kalia who in turn organised the team to carry the shootout. Satish Kalia was the man who shot J Dey, said the police. The commissioner also added the shootout was carried out on the behest of Chhota Rajan, and the shooters were allegedly kept in dark about the profession of Jyotirmoy Dey.