Indian crime reporter gunned down in Mumbai

Jyotirmoy Dey was shot by gunmen Saturday afternoonHe wrote about crime in Mumbai for a tabloidThe newspaper vowed to continue investigating crimeThe veteran journalist was a "pillar" of his newsroom

(CNN) -- In a brazen daylight attack Saturday in the Indian city of Mumbai, gunmen shot and killed a veteran journalist who reported on the city's underworld.

Jyotirmoy Dey, was rushed to a hospital where he died of five gunshot wounds, reported CNN's sister network, CNN-IBN.It quoted police as saying that four men on two motorbikes pulled up to Dey, who was also riding a bike, and shot him from behind at close range.

Police are searching for the gunmen, who were able to escape the scene.

Dey had covered crime for two decades and was most recently writing for an English language tabloid called Mid Day.

The newspaper posted a statement on its website that called Dey "one of the pillars" of its newsroom.

It would not comment on the circumstances of Dey's killing but speculation surfaced that it was act committed by someone who intended to silence him.

"We will not stop doing investigating stories, and we will not bow to criminals," the newspaper said.

Editor Sachin Kalbag told CNN-IBN that he was not aware of any threats made against Dey.

"Everything was normal when I last met him, which was yesterday," Kalbag said. "This is an attack not on a journalist, but on the media fraternity."

Dey penned numerous articles on Mumbai's mafia and published two books on crime -- "Zero Dial: The Dangerous World of Informers" and "Khallas," which was about Mumbai's organized crime scene.

"I don't know why he was shot dead. Maybe some reporting of his had hurt some mafia," Chhagan Bhujbal, the Maharashtra state minister for public works, told CNN-IBN. "We have a lost an important reporter in the state."

"Dey was a very honest person," Bhujbal said. "He used to write on the underworld. He was not targeting anyone in particular."

View the original article here

Senior crime journalist shot dead in Mumbai

Mumbai, June 11 (IANS) Senior crime journalist of Mumbai-based eveninger Mid Day, Jyotindra Dey was shot dead by unidentified assailants in northwest part of this megapolis Saturday afternoon, police said.

Quoting eyewitnesses, police said Dey received a phone call while riding his motorcycle near Powai around 3 p.m. When he slowed down and took the call four assailants came on two motorcycles and shot at him from the rear at close range.

Dey fell off the bike and the attackers sped off. Some passersby rushed him to the nearby Hiranadani Hospital where he was declared dead on admission.

Additional Commissioner of Police Vishwas Nagre-Patil said Dey suffered nine bullet injuries.

Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Himanshu Roy and his law and order counterpart Rajneesh Sheth rushed to the spot and personally supervised the initial investigations.

Mumbai Police Commissioner Arup Patnaik briefed Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and Home Minister R.R. Patil on the attack on the well-known journalist.

'This appears to be a professionally executed killing and we do not rule out the possibility of underworld mafia groups involved in it,' Patnaik told reporters later.

Expressing shock over the broad daylight killing, Chavan assured a thorough probe into the incident.

'The state will not tolerate attack on any journalist. We are taking a review meeting tomorrow (Sunday),' said Chavan.

'We are trying to find out if there was any complaint recorded with regard to threat to his life. Dey had, however, not sought any police protection,' he added.

Saying that he shared the anger of the journalist community, Chavan said: 'I don't want to jump to any conclusion at this moment, but we will put all our might in investigating this case and action will be taken against the culprit.'

Condemning the murder, Home Minister R.R. Patil said the Crime Branch will investigate the killing.

Dey, who was editor, special investigation, of Mid Day, started his career with the Afternoon newspaper and later worked with Mid Day, the Indian Express, Hindustan Times, and finally returned to Mid Day.

He had relentlessly pursued stories against the notorious oil mafia and other organised crime syndicates.

Considered to be one of the best writers on Mumbai's underworld, Dey had been reporting on crime for the last 22 years. Before taking up crime reporting as a career, Dey was a deep sea scuba diver.

He had wide contacts in several police departments and had broken numerous stories related to the underworld.

'Dey had written extensively about the underworld and had the best sources. He was well networked and knew the underworld inside out. It's shocking to know that he was shot dead,' said a senior journalist.

Dey had also authored two books, 'Zero Dial: The Dangerous World of Informers' and 'Khallas', on Mumbai's underworld.

Mumbai journalists late Saturday gathered at the Press Club to protest the killing and demanded that the perpetrators and conspirators of the crime be arrested and brought to book immediately.

View the original article here