Senior Mumbai crime journalist shot dead

A journalist investigating underworld crime in India’s financial hub Mumbai was shot dead in broad daylight yesterday, police said. Jyotirmoy Dey, a senior journalist with the daily Mid Day, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in the Powai area of northwest Mumbai. J Dey, as he was popularly known, was rushed to a local hospital where he died of his injuries. Police investigating the shooting suspect it may be linked to an underworld gang. Dey had written a book called Zero Dial - The Dangerous World of Informers, based on his reportage of the Mumbai underworld. In his forties, Dey had been covering the Mumbai underworld gangs and crime syndicates for many years and had extensive contacts in both the underworld and the police. Dey was holding the position of editor, investigations, in Mid Day. He had earlier worked in the Indian Express and the Hindustan Times in Mumbai.“Dey had written extensively about the underworld and had the best sources. He was well networked and knew the underworld in and out. It’s shocking to know that he was shot dead,” said a senior journalist.“Dey was soft spoken, non-interfering and kept to himself. But he would be forthcoming when it came to helping someone in crisis. He has done several mafia related breaking stories,” said another senior journalist who worked with Dey. Before taking up crime reporting as a career, Dey was a deep sea scuba diver.He is survived by his wife Shobha and his mother.Dey had been writing about Dawood Ibrahim and Chotta Rajan and others for a long time.Condemning the murder, Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil said the Crime Branch will investigate the killing. “The matter will be handed over to the crime branch and we will ensure that the culprit is brought to book,” he said. Bharatiya Janata Party leader Eknath Khadse said such attacks on journalists should be stopped. “The state government should take strict action to stop such attacks,” he said. The Chennai Press Club condemned the murder.“The brutal murder in broad daylight is an open challenge to the free press. We request the Maharashtra government to take this incident seriously and take action on a war-footing to arrest the perpetrators and also provide adequate protection to journalists,” the club said in a statement. It appealed to journalists across the country to condemn the incident and stand united against the attack on the freedom of press.