Journalist J Dey Killed Over Book On Gangster Chhota Rajan: CBI

Mumbai: CBI today filed a supplementary charge-sheet against gangster Chhota Rajan in the J Dey murder case, claiming that he had the journalist was murdered because Dey's articles and a planned book portrayed Rajan as 'chindi' (a small fry).

The 300-page charge-sheet was filed at the special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act court here.

Mr Dey, a veteran crime reporter, had planned a book, titled 'Chindi -- Rags to Riches', wherein he was going to write the stories of 20 gangsters with humble origins.

"Mr Dey was going to expose the fake patriotic mask used by him (Rajan) to secure himself and to accumulate wealth for his family.

The book was to have that Rajan had no concern for those who made him big," the charge-sheet says.

The book was also to portray Dawood Ibrahim, Rajan's friend-turned-foe, as being superior to him. 

Mr Dey was planning to write another two books before leaving journalism, and he had met several people for these book and visited Philippines and other countries.

Rajan, who was reportedly hiding in Malaysia, had called Mr Dey for a meeting but the journalist refused, CBI says.

In an intercepted conversation after Dey's death, Rajan "declared" Mr Dey as "traitor" and his rival journalist Jigna Vora, an accused in the case, now on bail, as the one who instigated the murder, CBI says.

Rajan's henchmen who executed the murder conspiracy here used to contact the gangster using international SIM cards which were activated only after midnight, it says.

The charge-sheet has statements of 41 witnesses. It names Ravi Ram Rattesar, earlier shown as a witness, as an accused, because he was found to be a key link between Rajan and other accused and had supplied some 20 SIM cards at Rajan's instructions, said a CBI officer.