Ten months after he was deported from Indonesia, the CBI on Friday filed a charge-sheet against Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje alias Chhota Rajan and his accomplice Ravi Ram Rattesar in the much-discussed J Dey murder case.
In a supplementary charge-sheet filed in the J Dey murder case before a Special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court here, the CBI charged Chhota Rajan and Rattesar under 302 (murder), 34 (crime done in furtherance of common intention) 120-B (conspiracy), 201 (disappearance of evidence) of Indian Penal Code, sections 3, 25, 27 of Arms Act; 37 (1) (a), 135 of Bombay Police Act; Section 3 (1) (i), 3 (2), 3 (4) of MCOC Act 1999.
The CBI, which took over the J dey murder case from the Mumbai police in January this year following a request from the Maharashtra Government, had subjected Rajan to an elaborate custodial interrogation, before filing a charge-sheet against him. Besides, it has recorded the statements of 41 witnesses in the case and has made Rattesar, who was earlier a witness in the case, an accused in the case because of his close links with Rajan and the role he has played in the murder.
“After thorough investigation, CBI unearthed the conspiracy of killing J Dey. The advanced and scientific
techniques were adopted and Voice Sample of accused was also taken. Sufficient evidence has also emerged to establish
that Global Roaming SIM Cards were arranged by the accomplice of accused to the members of Organised crime syndicates,” the CBI stated in a statement after filing the supplementary charge-sheet in the case.
Rajan, who was arrested in Bali on his arrival from Australia on October 25 and flown to Delhi in the early hours of November 6 last year, was booked by the CBI in the J Dey murder within days after registered a case on January 5, 2016.
Fifty-six-year-old Dey, who was an Editor (Special Investigations) with “Mid-Day”, was gunned down by a group of motorbike-riding gangsters at Powai in north-east Mumbai on June 11, 2011. Investigations have revealed that Dey was bumped off at the behest of Rajan.
On June 8 last year, the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court here on Monday had framed charges against the 10 accused, including an arrested fellow reporter Jigna Vora, in the case.
The court had charged the ten accused with having not only been a part of the underworld gang run by ChhotaRajan, but also having executed the conspiracy hatched by the fugitive gangster to eliminate Dey.
The charges were framed against the ten accused under 120 B (criminal conspiracy), 201 (causing disappearing of evidence), 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code, sections 325 and 327 of Arms Act and 3(1)(i), 3 (2) and 3 (4) of the MCOCA.
Initially, 10 persons were arrested by the Mumbai police in connection with the case and charge-sheeted. Jigna was arrested on November 25, 2011. Jigna was charge-sheeted was subsequently. Of the total 11 accused, one accused Vinod Chembur alias Vinod Asrani, a real estate dealer and a bookie from Chembur, who was the main financer and co-conspirator, passed away on April 11 this year following multiple ailments.
On December 3, 2011, the police had filed a 3,055 page charge-sheet against 12 accused in the case, including Rajan and another absconding accused Nayansingh Pratapsingh Bisht who, along with another accused, had made available 0.32 bore US-made US revolver used in the crime.
The other accused, against whom charge sheet had been filed on December 3 2011, were: Rohee Thangappan Joseph alias Satish Kalya, Abhijeet Shinde, Arun Dake, Sachin Gaikwad, Anil Waghmode, Nilesh Shendge, Mangesh Agawane, Vinod Asrani, Paulson Joseph and Deepak Sisodia. All of them are in custody under MCOCA charges.
Vora’s name did not figure in the first charge-sheet. On February 21, 2012, the crime branch police filed a supplementary charge-sheet in the court, including Vora’s name in the list of accused in the case and specifying her role in the crime.
The supplementary charge-sheet ran into 1,471 pages, split into three volumes. There are 27 witnesses. Three of the witnesses have given their statement under oath (CrPC 164) which is admissible as evidence in the court.
Three arrested accused--Paulson Joseph, Deepak Sisodia and Arun Dake—have made their confessions, in keeping with the provisions of MCOCA.
The Prosecution’s case has been that Vora, who is the deputy bureau chief of the Mumbai edition of "Asian Age", had allegedly instigated Chhota Rajan, into ordering the killing of senior crime journalist Dey, following some professional rivalry between two media persons.
The investigations have so far revealed that it was incarcerated co-accused Paulson Joseph, who had provided international SIM cards to Vora to make calls to Rajan, who was then holed up somewhere in south-east Asia.