Underworld don Chhota Rajan likely to be charged for J Dey murder

The Crime Branch of the Mumbai police will today plead for extension of the deadline for filing the charge sheet in the J Dey murder case in the special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court, senior officials told the media on Tuesday.

The court had directed them to file the charge sheet by 4 November.

A report says the Crime Branch is likely to name underworld don Chota Rajan and firearms supplier Nain Singh Bisht in the chargesheet.

J Dey, a senior crime reporter with the tabloid newspaper Mid-Day in Mumbai, was shot dead in broad daylight by four motorcycle-borne assailants in June this year, allegedly at the behest of underworld gangster Chhota Rajan.

The Crime Branch arrested 10 persons under the MCOCA on 8 July. ''We can file a charge sheet within 180 days of applying the MCOCA. We have a strong case, a case for conviction,'' a senior Crime Branch official said.

Initially, official sources had confirmed that the chargesheet would be filed in the special MCOCA court by Wednesday, but on Tuesday officials said that they would instead ask for an extension.

Asked about the reason, an official said, ''Investigation is still under progress. If we file a charge sheet tomorrow [Wednesday], we will anyway have to file a supplementary chargesheet. Now, we will file the entire thing.''

Interestingly, though Crime Branch officials have claimed that J Dey was shot dead at the behest of Chhota Rajan, they have remained tight-lipped about the motive. ''We don't need to establish motive behind the killing. The other evidence is quite strong,'' an official said.