Crime branch officers on Sunday arrested Vinod Asrani alias Vinod Chembur, a bookie-turned-builder and an alleged trusted aide of underworld don Chhota Rajan, for identifying veteran journalist Jyotirmoy Dey to the shooters, four days before Dey was killed.
The police said that Asrani had called Dey for a meeting at a bar where one of the seven men arrested for executing the hit on Dey. Another senior journalist from a national television news channel was also present at the meeting.
“We have arrested Vinod Asrani for playing an active role in the conspiracy behind the killing,” said Himanshu Roy, joint commissioner of police, crime.
A senior crime branch officer said that on June 7, Rajan had called up Asrani and asked him to take Dey to Uma Palace, a bar in Mulund where the shooter would also be present. “After Asrani confirmed to Rajan that Dey had agreed to meet him at the bar, Rajan called up Satish Kalia, the person who allegedly shot at Dey, and told him that the target would be the person who would be with Asrani at the bar.”
According to the officer, earlier on the same day, Mr Kalia’s close aide Anil Waghmode, who had also taken part in the hit on Dey, had seen the reporter in the afternoon when the latter parked his motorcycle at Peninsula Centre in Parel where his office is located. “Kalia told Waghmode to reconfirm that he had indeed seen the target before on the same day, and told him to go to the bar. Accordingly, Waghmode was present when Dey arrived at the bar, where Asrani surreptitiously identified Dey to him.”
The police is now trying to ascertain what the other senior journalist was doing at the meeting.
“We have recorded the statement of the journalist who was at the meeting and are examining how and why he landed up there,” the officer said.
When asked whether Asrani also paid the `2 lakhs to Kalia as the supari for the killing, the officer said, “The money was handed over through a hawala transaction. Asrani only identified the target for the shooters.”
Recently, Asrani had turned builder after operating for several years as a bookie, and is allegedly a close Rajan aide. Dey is believed to have been close to Asrani, who used to give him information about the gang’s activities. Asrani was arrested in 2006 in an extortion case under the MCOCA, in which Rajan’s wife Sujata was named a co-accused.
He was also present at the infamous Christmas party of 2009 thrown by Rajan, in which senior police officers were captured on camera.