Zeenews Bureau
Mumbai: The state police, Friday, invoked Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) on all the eight arrested in the murder case of senior Mid Day tabloid reporter Jyotirmoy Dey.
"We have invoked MCOCA against all the accused in the case," said Joint Police Commissioner (Crime) Himanshu Roy.
According to police, MCOCA provisions can be applied, if at least two members of an organised crime gang have at least two chargesheets registered against them.
Earlier, Joint Commissioner (Crime) Himanshu Roy had said that we will have the stringent MCOCA slapped against then once the charges are framed against all the accused.
The investigative journalist was shot dead in broad daylight at Powai June 11. Dey was editor (special investigations) of Mumbai tabloid Mid Day and specialised in reporting on the underworld.
Among the eight arrested most prominent is the aide of underworld don Chhota Rajan - Vinod Asrani alias Vinod Chembur, Other seven are Rohee Thangappan Joseph alias Satish Kalya (34) and his associates Abhijeet Shinde (28), Arun Dake (27), Sachin Gaikwad (27), Anil Waghmode (35), Nilesh Shendge (34) and Mangesh Agawane (25).
Police had claimed that the journalist was eliminated at the behest of gangster Chhota Rajan, who paid Rs 5 lakh to the accused. However, they said the motive behind the killing was not yet clear.
Known for his deep knowledge of the city’s underworld and extensive network of informers, Dey had led a team of crime and investigative reporters and had authored books on different gangs, involved in carrying out organised crime in the city.
First Published: Friday, July 08, 2011, 13:29