3 bomb blasts in Mumbai; 13 killed, 81 injured

At least 13 people have been killed and 81 others injured in three bomb blasts that rocked Mumbai on Wednesday evening in the crowded Dadar, Opera House and Zaveri Bazar areas. Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan confirmed that the 13 deaths reported include casualties from all the three locations hit by the blasts.

Union Home Ministry confirmed that the blasts are terror strikes and added that Improvised Explosive Devices were used at all the three locations.

"We have information of three blasts. We have rushed teams of NSG (National Security Guards) and NIA (National Investigating Agency) to Mumbai. One blast has taken place in a Maruti Esteem car and one in a motorcycle," said Union Home Secretary RK Singh said.

The blast at Dadar took place in Kabutar Khana, in the two-storey JK Building at Tata Road No. 1 in Opera House and at Khaul Gali in Zaveri Bazar.

Wednesday blasts took place just two days after the fifth anniversary of the Mumbai serial train blasts on July 11, 2006 in which at least 186 persons were killed.

The blasts took place within minutes of each other with the first being reported at 6:50 PM in south Mumbai's Zaveri Bazaar, near the famous Mumbadevi temple, in which some people were injured, said Mumbai Police spokesperson Nisar Tamboli.

The second explosion was reported in a taxi in Dadar area, he said. "We are verifying the nature of explosions. At this moment I cannot say anything more than this," Tamboli said.

According to an eyewitness a fire that broke out in Zaveri Bazar following the blasts has been brought under control.

Police, ambulance, home guards and fire brigade have been rushed to the spot.

A Border Security Force plane has left for Mumbai from New Delhi with NSG personnel, forensic experts and senior NIA officials.

The injured have been rushed to JJ Hospital, GT Hospital, KEM Hospital and St George's Hospital.

Home Minister P Chidambaram has called a high-level meeting in the wake of the blasts.

Security alerts have been issued in all major cities including New Delhi and Kolkata after the blasts in Mumbai.

Wed, Jul 13, 2011 at 19:15

Man stabs girlfriend, tries to kill self

MUMBAI: A man stabbed his girlfriend, before trying to end his own life, following a tiff over money at a Dahisar guest house on Tuesday. Vaman Sawant and Sapna Pillai are both recuperating atBhagwati Hospital in Borivli with critical injuries. 

Sawant (31) works as an office boy with the Borivli branch of a coaching class chain, while Pillai (26) is a bar waitress in the same area. They are residents of Virar (E) and Mira Road, respectively. The couple got acquainted at the bar a month ago. As Pillai, who stays in Mira Road, had odd working hours, Sawant would escort her home everyday after she finished work. 

"Sawant wanted Pillai to quit her job. He promised to give her Rs 2-3 lakh if she did so," said ACP Sunil Deshmukh. Around 1 pm on Tuesday, the duo checked into Sanmaan guest house. Pillai reminded Sawant that he was yet to pay her the sum, without which she wouldn't quit her job. Sawant wasn't well-off and couldn't raise that kind of money. 


The duo had an argument, after which Sawant stabbed Pillai with a knife in her abdomen and neck in an attempt to "get rid of her". He then locked himself in the bathroom and slashed his wrists. to avoid getting caught by the police 

The police later rushed the injured duo to hospital. A staffer later discovered Pillai lying in the room, covered with blood. The police were called, and they also found Sawant in the bathroom. The injured duo was rushed to hospital.Around 2.45 pm, a guest house employee from the guest house went to their room to check around 2.45 pm. He managed to open the door and was shocked to find Sapna lying sprawled in the room, covered with blood. The staffer informed his superiors who summoned the Dahisar police. The cops broke down the door of the couple's room. They also found Sawant wounded in the bathroom. The couple was rushed to the Bhagwati Hospital, where Sawant has been admitted to the ICCU. Officials said Sawant had brought the knife along, which indicates that the crime was pre-planned. 

Based on Pillai's statement, the cops lodged a case of attempt to murder and attempt to commit suicide against Sawant. Presently, he is unconscious and will be arrested once he is treated and discharged from the hospital.

Shame for cops that Chota Rajan man was here 57 days

GOA: That the state police were clueless about the presence of gangster Umaid-ur-Rahman, who was picked up by Mumbai police from a house in Arambol, and that he was a sharp shooter of the Chota Rajan gang, speaks for itself. The gangster lived peacefully for 57 days in this haven. 

It's a further shame for the police force of Goa that they did not know anything about the arrest until the news hit the headlines. But is the police force alone to be blamed for this? 

The inefficiency of the police is probably more because of the way they have been treated by the political class here. Any society that does not give a free hand to the police cannot expect the force to perform well. More often than not, Goa policemen are dictated what they should do. So they have no self morale left in themselves. 

Many files pertaining to important clearances have been kept pending by the administration for months together. The home department should also take a share of the blame for this mess, because they are one of the biggest culprits in not clearing the decisions that will give some teeth to the police force. 

Goa has repeatedly been in the news nationally for all the wrong reasons. Either it is some gangster who is holidaying here without anyone's knowledge, or some foreigner is raped and killed like the Scarlett Keeling case, or Atala and David Driham alias Dudu, who become the dudes of Goa, smuggling drugs into the nerves of tourists and locals. 

Policemen are more known for the mafia-police nexus here. All the good work and investigations done by their colleagues are overlooked, thanks to some powerful policemen who flaunt their closeness to the political class. Often, a constable has more influence than the top police brass, because of his access to chief minister Digambar Kamat, or home minister Ravi Naik. In several instances, policemen claim closeness to other ministers like Churchill Alemao, Atanasio 'Babush' Monserrate and Viswajit Rane. The end result is that these policemen continue to get plum postings, or even stay in the sensitive crime branch for years. 

The top brass of the police force are posted from outside the state, and either have little interest, or are not allowed to have their say in postings. A strong police force will come into effect only if the political class does not interfere with the decisions of the police department. DGP Aditya Arya will have to push the government to give the policemen their pride back. Unless policemen have their pride in place, one cannot expect the force to function to its potential. 

There are many instances where important investigations have been dragging for months together and the culprits get away. 

Many a time, there are black sheep within the police department who go unpunished. Many policemen act as moles for the criminals. Policemen have been involved in twisting cases, or even committing crimes. Many months since the alleged death in police custody of Cipriano, the perpetrators of the crime have gone scot free. And the family of Cipriano is fighting the battle all alone and have refused to take possession of the body until the policemen who are allegedly involved in the negligence leading to his death, are brought to book. 

The government is yet to form the anti-terror squad, despite heightened threats in Mumbai and elsewhere in the country. Goa being a coastal state has to be more vigilant, given that it's a top tourist destination of the country. There are several foreigners always in Goa, and both during season and non-season, the influx of tourists is a constant. 

A better monitoring mechanism will have to be put in place. The government will also have to increase the strength of the police force, provide them professional training, form special units to be able to meet situations like the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, and make the police force more robust. 

The wake up call is already there. The police force should not ignore it. The political establishment should stop interfering and terrorizing the police force. The gaps between the teeth need to be filled to make it an alert unit. 

Main accused in Malad rape case arrested

MUMBAI: The key accused in the gang-rape of a 20-year-old girl in Malad (E) was arrested by the crime branch late on Monday. A court remanded the accused, Suraj Nepali (20), in police custody till July 13. 

Meanwhile, members of the National Commission of Women (NCW) met the city police commissioner on Tuesday and inquired about the action taken in the case. 

On Saturday, four persons had been arrested, three of them minors. The incident occurred on May 10 but came to light only recently after an MMS clip of the girl was found in circulation. "One of the accused, Rajesh Jaiswal (21), was a close friend of the victim. It was Jaiswal who shot the MMS," an official said. 

Nepali has a past case of assault registered with the Dindoshi police. "He had left town and our team had to question his relatives to find him," ACP Jaywant Hargude said. The minors studied in class X of a convent school at Sanjay Nagar, Malad East. They got acquainted with Nepali and Jaiswal, who stayed in the vicinity. 

The gangrape took place in a forest at Nimboni Pada, where the boys took the victim following a visit to the Siddhivinayak temple. 

"The minors admitted that they held back the girl's hands and legs while she was being raped. They also said Nepali forced them, as well as the victim, to consume drugs," an official said. The victim left for her hometown in UP after the incident for fear of embarrassment. 

Acting chairperson of NCW Yasmeen Abrar said: "We asked the police chief to record the victim's statement in the presence of a magistrate. He ensured us that the police had strong evidence against the culprits." A detailed report will be sent to NCW by Wednesday. The NCW had also come down to check whether directions for law and order issued to all states were being followed. 

Gangster stayed at Arambol for 57 days

ARAMBOL: They came, stayed for 57 days, two were arrested on Thursday by the Mumbai police, and yet, the Goa police knew nothing till the news hit the headlines on Saturday. In fact, key shooter in the Chhota Rajan gang, Umaid-ur-Rahman, stayed with his wife, parents and an aide in two rooms of an under-construction building a mere two-minute walk from the Pernem police outpost at Arambol in North Goa. 

Pernem police have submitted a report to the district magistrate that the owner of the two rooms, Maria Mascarenhas, has violated the collector's orders by not filing the mandatory form 'C' (tenant verification form) with the police. They further stated that Mascarenhas did not enter into a contract with Rahman to rent the rooms and didn't know for how long the five would stay. Police have requested the magistrate to initiate action against Mascarenhas. 

On Saturday, STOI visited the two rooms rented to Rahman at Rs20,000 a month and found four cellphone batteries, six cellphone chargers, petty cash in denominations of Rs50 and Rs10, a watch, two Sim cards, four bags full of clothes, a copy of the Konkan Railway timetable, religious books, two TV sets with cable connections, cooking oil, spices, honey, nuts, rice, flour, eggs, etc. 

'They told me they were tourists from Mumbai' 

Locals told TOI that Rahman, his wife, parents and the aide turned up at Arambol around May 20, three days after the shooter allegedly orchestrated the murder of gangster Iqbal Kaskar's driver-cum-bodyguard Arif Bael outside Kaskar's residence on Pakmodia Street in Mumbai. Initially staying at 'Arambol Plaza', they asked the cook at the guesthouse to arrange for a cheaper place about 10 days later. Around May 30, Rahman and his family approached Mascarenhas who lives at Madhalawado just behind 'Arambol Plaza'. 

The 60-year-old agreed to rent two small rooms (approximately 15 sq m each) with attached bathrooms on the first floor of her under-construction, twostorey building. Mascarenhas lives on the ground floor. While Rahman and his wife Yasmeen stayed in one room, his parents and the aide, stayed in the other, said Mascarenhas. "They told me they were tourists from Mumbai and had come to Goa for a change of climate. They said their previous guesthouse was costly at Rs 2,000 a day and that they wanted a cheaper residence and wanted to cook their own food," said Mascarenhas. 

Rahman also wanted TVs in their rooms to watch the news. "They told me 'aunty, humein TVchahiye, newsdekhna hain, zara arrange kardo," said Mascarenhas. She accordingly got TVs from her house installed in the rooms together with cable connections. The five stayed without any problems for 57 days. In the last week of June, Rahman's parents even travelled to Mumbai for medical reasons and returned after four days, said Mascarenhas. They also shopped in Panaji (evident from the shopping bags from stores based in the capital city that TOI saw in the rooms). 

"Their behaviour was normal. They owned two cars and would step out every evening for movies, shopping and to go to other places. They normally woke up around noon," said Mascarenhas. Recalling what happened on Thursday, the owner of the rooms said, "Around 12:45pm, 5-6 well-built men, not speaking Konkani, arrived at the rooms and handcuffed Rahman and his aide. Though Rahman's parents tried to intervene, the men, who I found out later were Mumbai crime branch police officers, took the two away. They also searched the rooms and seized some items." 

Admitting that she did not file form 'C', Mascarenhas said, "Whenever foreigners stay we file form 'C'. I am sorry I took it so casually this time. I didn't know these people were criminals, I would never have rented my rooms to them."

Vendors tailed extortionist cop’s car

MUMBAI: Inspector Bhaskar Dhere took along with him three of his associates when he targeted the shop in Goregaon.

"On July 4, Dhere, along with three of his aides, went to Maharashtra Supari Store at Jawahar Nagar in Goregaon (W). Clad in his uniform, Dhere walked up to the owner, Shafiq Shaikh, and told him that he had been receiving complaints about fake gutka being supplied from the shop. He threatened to register a case against Shaikh that attracted a prison term of five years," said senior inspector S Paithankar. Shaikh protested innocence but Dhere apparently refused to listen. After an argument, Dhere allegedly "offered to settle the matter" only if Shaikh paid him Rs 1.4 lakh.

Shaikh arranged for the money and paid it to the inspector, but after a check in his godown, he realized that he did not have any fake stock and that Dhere had extorted the money from him, the police said. On July 5, Shaikh lodged a complaint against Dhere and his aides, Rafiq Shaikh Ali, Bablu and Salim, with the Goregaon police. At the same time, he spread the word among betel-nut vendors to ensure that his peers did not fall prey to Dhere's demands.

On Saturday, Dhere visited another shop in Malad and threatened the vendor similarly. The seller paid up Rs 30,000 and called up Shaikh who told him to tail Dhere's car. Shaikh, too, joined in the chase. On reaching Gokuldham Complex in Dindoshi, the two traders spotted a patrolling police team and shouted out for help; the cops halted Dhere's car. After Shaikh produced a copy of his FIR, Dhere was taken to the nearby Dindoshi police station and then to the Goregaon police station. After questioning, Dhere was booked on charges of extortion and cheating on Sunday. His three aides are, however, on the run. Dhere has been remanded in police custody till July 13.

The crime branch control unit was a part of the crime branch till police commissioner Arup Patnaik revamped the unit and brought it under him. The unit investigates adulteration of commodities and copyright infringement cases, but Patnaik has been assigning more important cases to the unit, which cracked the kidnapping case of a Kandivli boy, Karnit Shah.

Commuter assaults bus conductor in Sion

MUMBAI: A bus conductor was assaulted by a passenger near Pratiksha Nagar depot, in Sion on Sunday afternoon, resulting in services being disrupted for more than an hour.

Bus services resumed only around 3.15 pm. "One of the passengers had an altercation with the conductor at Pratiksha Nagar depot. The passenger assaulted the conductor and also summoned his relatives and friends," said BEST public relations officer NA Walawalkar.

On seeing four to five men entering the depot, the BEST security guards anticipating trouble and shut the main gate. The guards tried to prevent the men from causing any problem and informed the Wadala Truck Terminal police. One of the men pelted a bus with stones and damaged its windows.

"The gate was opened only when the police arrived. The police hauled the miscreants to the police station," Walawalkar said. A case was registered against the miscreants in the evening.

Local residents were inconvenienced by the delay in services. "There is a good frequency of buses in the area. Those residing in the MHADA flats mainly depend on BEST buses to commute. Even if there is a 15 minute delay, it upsets local residents," said local resident.

3-year-old boy claims dad killed his mom

THANE: Mystery surrounds the alleged suicide of a 32-year-old married woman from the Rabodi areaon Saturday. Amina Shaikh's three-and-a-half-year-old son Rehan has told the police that his father had hanged her. Amina was found hanging from a ceiling fan inside her home around 7:30 am. Police said the victim used a duppatta to 'hang' herself. 

Preliminary probe by the police has aroused suspicion that the victim could have been subject to domestic violence. It was a statement by her son Rehan that cast doubts about claims that Shaikh had committed suicide. The child is believed to have told the police and also mediapersons that his father had physically attacked his mother before the incident. 

Amina's husband, Rafiq, allegedly hit her with a rolling pin and then hanged her to make it look like suidide. Based on the boy's statement, the police have detained Rafiq. but were awaiting postmortem report. 

Meanwhile, the victim's father, Nazir Ahmed, has lodged a complaint against Rafiq for harassing Amina for money. 

He informed the police that since their marriage in 2006 his daughter has been harassed for dowry. He said cash of Rs 2 lakh was given to Rafiq which he used to open a barber shop. 

Rs1.9 L jewellery, cash stolen from Goregaon home

MUMBAI: The Goregaon (west) residence of a 31-year-old man was burgled of cash and jewellery collectively worth Rs 1.87 lakh on Saturday. 

Rahul Jain, the complainant, was away when unidentified burglars smashed the latch on his safety door and broke the lock on the internal door to gain access to the house between 12.15 pm and 10.15 pm. The burglars ransacked cupboards in the living room and bedroom, before decamping with gold and silver jewellery as well as Rs 12,000 in cash. The Goregaon police have registered a case of housebreaking and are looking for the culprits. 

Must Visit Links guyz........

http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/publication/faultlines/volume12/Article5.htm

http://www.cybercellmumbai.com/

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Mumbai-Crime-Reporters'-Association

Cops’ latest tool to fight crime: Computer chips

The high-on-technology top cops will use radio frequency identification (RFID) chips to ensure streets are patrolled better.

Here’s how the system - to be implemented within a fortnight - will work: These chips are basically tracking devices, which use radio frequency identification to monitor places and people.

This hi-tech control room has been set up by DCP KMM Prasanna at Bandra Police Station to track his officers on the field

Devices carrying these chips will be installed at public parks, railway stations, schools, banks, housing colonies and streets.

The chips will also act as card readers for the officers on patrol. Using special handsets, the patrol officers can record their presence in a particular area.

The radio frequency idea is being introduced by DCP (Zone 11) Mahesh Patil.

“We will start with two chips per area. Patrol officers will be given a handset that the chips will record. It’s like card readers in office, where you punch in your in and out timings.”

This idea is the result of the police top brass brainstorming of the past several weeks. Security in the streets was relaxed post the World Cup final here on April 2.

That resulted in a rise in street crime such as chain snatching. Even incidents of house break-ins reported a rise, forcing the police top brass in a huddle.

Patil said, “Technology is a useful tool in fighting crime. We did a comprehensive study of the time of crime. For instance, chain snatchers mostly target parks in the mornings and evenings, and streets in the evenings. Also, officers know they too are being watched. This will only result in better patrolling.”

Then there is DCP K M M Prasanna from Zone 9, who has come up with a hi-tech control room at Bandra Police Station to track his officers on the field.

CCTV cameras installed in the streets will be connected to this special control room. This will result in a quicker response to trouble, Prasanna said.

“The cameras will help us monitor the streets 24x7. We can rush in police teams at the crime scene a lot quicker,” he said.

Sources said the idea is also a result of allegations of the cops refusing to take down complaints. “Such officers will have no choice in the face of the crime footage,” a senior cop said.

Exposed Racker Of E- Ticketing (Cinema) Fraud

Cyber Crime Investigation  Cell, C.B.,C.I.D., Mumbai had detected a racket wherein educated  cyber criminals have adopted the innovative  way of E-Cheating by using the details of stolen Credit Cards.

          One complaint had received from Head of IT department of Fame Adlabs regarding booking of e-tickets.The case was registered to the Oshiwara police station  u/s 420 IPC vide C.R. No. 466 /2007  Under the directions of Shri. Rakesh Maria,  Jt Comm Of Police (Crime) and Shri. Sanjay Mohite, Deputy Comm Of police( Prev) enquiries were conducted. the culprits were arrested on 18/10/2007.
         During the Investigation it is  revealed that they have made the fraud through internet. The criminals had used the facilities like mobile phones, Internet utilities and booked tickets through internet and sold them personally to the  theatre viewers in the  premises of theatre. Further investigation is being carried out by cyber crime investigation cell as it is suspected that there is big racket involved in this E-Ticketing (Cinema) fraud.

Hit and run case ends life of a teenaged girl

Ina gruesome incident, a teenaged girl, who was riding pillion, was killed on the spot in a hit-and-run on the Western Express Highway in Goregaon (E) Monday . Police said her friend, who was riding the motorcycle, escaped with minor injuries.

The accident occurred when an Alto rammed into the motorcycle the victims were riding. The driver of the car, a maroon Alto, did not even stop to help the victims, the police said. Minutes before, the same vehicle ran over a pedestrian on the highway.

The deceased, Sylvia Mcwan (17), was a Std-XI distance learning student at Mumbai University and lived with her father, grandmother and two siblings at Virar.

While Sylvia and her friend Ankush Rathod (24) were returning after attending a seminar, an Alto came up from behind and tried to overtake the motorcycle . The driver, however, lost control over his car and hit the bike. The motorcycle skidded and Sylvia was flung off her seat. She landed on the road, her head banging against the divider. She died on the spot, the police said.

The Goregaon (E) police are questioning witnesses and trying to trace the driver. The pedestrian who was killed minutes earlier is yet to be identified. His body has been sent to the Borivli post-mortem centre, an officer said.

Crime: Mindless Mumbai allows woman to lie naked

Mumbai is sometimes described as a metro without a mind..
A day after Durga puja and the victory of good over evil, there has been a spate of crime against women. A hapless disoriented 20-year-old woman was allowed to lie naked for hours on a Mumbai street even as people were busy taking out processions. Nobody cared. And there is more – of a gruesome hit and run case in Mumbai, harassment and murder.

Mumbai is sometimes described as a metro without a mind. People are so busy that they hardly find time for caring or being concerned for others. And on Monday night, as the festival lights were still on, Mumbai just showed its dark and heartless face when a semi-conscious , stark naked woman was allowed to lie bang on a busy road in Powai for several hours. No one cared, no one bothered and none were concerned or moved.

The woman was in her 20s and was homeless. She was found lying, ironically enough, near the upmarket Hiranandani Gardens complex. People were found coming back after the festivities or a grand dinner; some were out on a post-dinner walk. But nobody cared to help or enquire about the problem of the hapless woman.

Ironically, even as she lay on Central Avenue Road, a loud musical procession of Durga devotees passed by for immersion at Powai Lake.

Sources said that the woman looked dazed and was sitting on the pavement since evening. At 9 pm, she lost whatever little energy she had and had to sprawl on the road naked.

Finally, a local shop assistant partially covered her body with a gunny sack. She had to spend a few more hours before some residents learned of the hapless girl and came to her rescue. They tried calling the police and a van arrived by 11.40 pm and picked her up in a stretcher. Strangely enough, instead of taking her to a hospital, the police took her to the Powai police station.

The police said that the girl appeared mentally retarded and abandoned. They are planning to shift her to a woman's home in Chembur.

To be fair, a few women did come to help the girl, but that was a good five hours later.

Crime branch arrests Corporator’s brother

Police on Monday said although there had been an increase in the number of crime cases in the city last year, the detection rate also witnessed an uptrend.

"There was increase in crime with population going up and more and more people coming in the city but detection must also take place ", Sanjeev Dayal, Commissioner of Mumbai Police said addressing the annual press briefing.

In the crime chart released by the Mumbai police comparing the crime in the city between 2009 and 2010, dacoity cases have decreased in the city though serious crime like murder, attempt to murder, robbery, chain snatching, crime against women increased in 2010.

As against the 33,645 cases, under Indian Penal Code, registered in the city last year, the police detected 18,646 cases while in 2009 as against 30,987 cases registered only 17, 509 cases were detected.

There were 199 extortion cases last year against 198 in 2009. While 309 persons were arrested in 2009 for extortion, in 2010, the number stood at 313.

There were eight shoot outs by criminals, one up over 2009.

The city police booked 54 accused under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act last year as against 52 in 2009.

The city also saw slight increase in cases like rape of minors, molestation, dowry deaths, while there was a decline in dowry related suicides and harassment for dowry. 

MID DAY Crime Editor J Dey shot dead in Mumbai

Mid Day Crime Editor J Dey was killed in Powai area here on Saturday. J Dey was shot dead in broad daylight on Saturday by four unidentified bike-borne persons who pumped five bullets on him from behind in suburban Powai.

Jyoti Dey (56), who was working as Editor (Special Investigation), was shot dead by unidentified persons in Powai at 1530 hours, Joint Police Commissioner (Law & Order) Rajnish Seth said.

According to Additional Police Commissioner Vishwas Nagre Patil, four persons on two bikes fired a number of rounds at Dey, who was also riding a bike, from behind this afternoon in Hiranandani area of Powai.

Following this, he was rushed to nearby Hiranandani hospital where he was declared dead, Patil said.

The shooters escaped from the spot after firing fiverounds, police said, adding further probe was on.

Police sources however said Dey, who recently ran a series of news reports on oil mafia, had received threats from anti-social elements.

Mid-Day Editor expresses shock

Mid-Day Editor Sachin Kalbaug said the killing of Dey was a tremendous loss to the newspaper. Kalbag sad Dey was called a 'guru' by budding crime reporters for his expertise in investigative reporting.

Sachin Kalbaug said the Mid-Day newsroom was in a state of shock.

"Dey was one of the senior most journalist, a well known crime reporter of Mumbai. His loss is a tremendous loss to newspaper," he said.

"We are in a state of complete shock. It is too early to say why this has happened and how it happened. No indications that he was working on a big story now which would have made anyone uncomfortable.”

"Yes, he has broken big stories all his life. He is in journalism for more than two decades now. Only police would tell you which underworld person, if at all, you know is responsible for his over two decades of investigation reporting....It is not for me to speculate, I can tell you that he was not doing any big story now," Kalbaug said.

Dey has worked with major newspapers including Indian Express and Hindustan Times.

Last month, tabloid employee and veteran journalist Tarakant Dwivedi alias Akela was arrested by the Government Railway Police (GRP) under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code and Official Secret Act after he had allegedly entered the government armoury in CST railway station and filed a news report about poor handling of armoury June last year.

Subsequently, the tabloid's employees headed by Dey and various journalist associations met Home Minister RR Patil, lodging protest against the police action on Akela and termed the action as a grievous assault on the freedom of the press.

Govt takes Dey killing very seriously: Patil

Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil said the government has taken the killing of senior journalist J Dey "very seriously" and senior police officials have been asked to immediately nab the culprits.

"I have spoken to the Mumbai Police Commissioner, and and Joint Commissioner (Crime) who are visiting the scene of crime. I have given instructions that the culprits be arrested as soon as possible," Patil said, adding "Nobody will be spared."

The motive behind the murder would be known only after a preliminary inquiry, he said.

The Home Minister said he knew J Dey as a good and senior crime reporter.

Dey wasn't blackmailing anyone: Bhujbal    

Maharashtra PWD Minister Chhagan Bhujbal said that crime journalist J Dey, who was killed
in Mumbai, did not target any gang or oil mafia in particular and was not "blackmailing" anyone.

Asked if the killing could be linked to elements from the underworld or the oil mafia, Bhujbal, a former home minister, said, "Dey was a very honest person. He used to write on underworld. He was not targeting anyone in particular, whether any gang or any (oil) mafia."

"Dey was not blackmailing anyone. He was a very honest person. I never imagined this would happen to him," he said.

"We are very much shocked to hear this tragic news," Bhujbal said. He recalled having  attended the book release of 'Zero Dial', written by Dey about informers, three months
ago.

"I think police will come to know in some time why he was killed," Bhujbal said.

Scribe killing attack on press: Ambika
Condemning the killing of a senior journalist of 'Mid-Day', Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni said no civilised society can tolerate this kind of attack on the
freedom of the press.

"This act has challenged the freedom of press and the perusal of objective reporting. This incident is a sign of insanity perpetuated by mindless individuals in which innocent
citizens are killed. No civilised society can tolerate this kind of attack on freedom of press," she said in a condolence message in Delhi.

She expressed confidence the "Home Minister of Maharashtra will live up to his assurance of tracking down the assailants in the shortest possible time".

Editors guild condoles journalist death

Condoling the death of J Dey in Mumbai, the Editors Guild of India demanded the Maharashtra government to take immediate steps to ensure that the killers are brought to
justice.

"The Editors Guild deplores the law enforcement agencies' inability to protect the life of a journalist engaged in carrying out his professional duties at great risk to himself," Guild president T N Ninan and Secretary Coomi Kapoor said in a statement in Delhi.

They said initial reports suggest that the crime mafia may have been behind the killing.

Remembering Dey as a "courageous reporter" who undertook to expose the underworld, they said, "as editor of the special investigation team of the Midday newspaper and earlier with Indian Express newspaper, he had relentlessly exposed Mumbai's criminal mafia despite numerous threats to his life."

"The Guild demands that the state authorities speedily bring Dey's killers to justice," Ninan and Kapoor said.

Mamata offers condolence to scribe’s family

Meanwhile, Mamata Banerjee has condemned the killing of a journalist in Mumbai and said the death would not silence their voices.

"I have heard that he penned a book against the mafia a month ago. Did he have to pay for his life for being brave in his writing? Killing journalists will not stop their voices," the chief minister said of the shooting dead of Editor, Special Investigation Mid-day, Jyoti Dey.

Banerjee conveyed her condolences to the members of the bereaved journalist's family.

It’s curtains for one of Mumbai’s most sensational crime

The curtains finally came down Thursday on one of the most sensational crimes of passion that hit trhe city in recent times involving a former naval officer, his starlet girlfriend and a television executive, who was killed in 2008.

Mumbai Sessions Court Judge M.W. Chandwani Thursday pronounced the judgment holding former naval officer Emile Jerome Mathew guilty of culpable homicide of television producer Neeraj Grover.

Mathew’s actress girlfriend Mariah Monica Susairaj was held guilty of destroying evidence in the killing at her apartment in Dheeraj Solitaire building in the northern suburb of Malad.

The former naval officer’s lawyer Abdul Wahab Khan said that during the trial, the court examined 66 witnesses and hundreds of pages of evidence and police investigation reports.

Around 7 a.m. May 7, 2008, Mathew suddenly came from Kochi, where he was posted, to Mariah’s home and found Grover naked in her bedroom.

According to prosecution, an angry Mathew abused and assaulted Grover and stabbed him with a kitchen knife.

Mariah told police that the first stab was so violent that Grover’s intestines spilled onto the floor. Mathew kept kicking and stabbing Grover even as Mariad watched in horror but did not shout for help.

The next morning, Mariah went to Hypercity shopping mall and bought a huge suitcase, air-fresheners, plastic bags and bed-sheets from there.

Mathew and Mariah chopped Grover’s body into pieces and stuffed these into the bag, along with the blood-stained bedsheets and curtains in her home.

Later that afternoon, Mariah borrowed a friend’s car, and along with Mathew placed the bag into the car and drove off to Manor, in adjoining Thane district, on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway.

At an isolated spot in the dense forest, they burnt Grover’s body pieces and other articles before returning home around 9.30 p.m.

However, unknown to them, a building watchman had seen them putting the bag in the car. He later revealed this to police.

This and other developments during police investigations blew the lid off the crime and the duo was arrested May 21.

Mathew revealed that he stabbed Grover because he felt the TV executive was merely “using” Mariah and would not give her any role in television serials.

Mariah had earlier caught Mathew having an affair with a Bangalore-based woman and had confronted him. Mathew confessed to his affair with a 25-year old woman who was his schoolmate in Mysore.

After Mariah threw a tantrum over Mathew’s six-month affair, he apologised and promised to end it – and lived up to his promise.

The actress also studied in the same school but was two years senior to Mathew. She was introduced to Mathew by her younger sister, who was his classmate.

Mariah came to Mumbai barely three months before the killing and was introduced to Grover through a common friend, working as a cameraman. They remained in touch over phone.

Soon they started meeting regularly at a coffee shop in north Mumbai’s Oshiwara, a cluster of many television and film production houses.

She also went and lived with Grover at his Andheri flat for a few days and he was a regular visitor to her home in Malad.