J Dey met accused day before death: Wife

Shubha Dey, wife of senior crime journalist J. Dey who was allegedly killed in June 2011 by gunmen at the behest of gangster Chhota Rajan, deposed on Monday before a special MCOCA court. She claimed that her husband had met an arrested accused, Vinod Chembur, who is now dead, a day before the incident. The meeting had taken place at a hotel in Mulund at Chembur’s behest, Ms Dey said.

She further claimed, during cross-examination, that her husband had once told her that a then police officer, Anil Mahabole, had allegedly threatened him with dire consequences since he had written an article supporting a journalist, Akela.

Ms Dey also told the court that her husband was in Europe for a tour from April 28, 2011 to May 5, 2011. While on this trip, he had bought an international SIM card to speak with her and did not call from his regular phone number, and sounded normal after returning home, Ms Dey added.

But, she said, her husband and her had gone to Aksa beach to celebrate her mother's birthday soon after, following which they had dinner, and he had seemed tense at that point in time.

Ms Dey also told the court that on the day of the murder, Dey had left home in the morning to meet his mother, who resided in Ghatkopar, but never returned. She added that she learnt from a friend that her husband had been shot, but by the time she met him in the hospital, he had been declared dead.

Ms Dey also said that after the death, the police visited her house and collected some articles that her husband had written, apart from a laptop and hard disk. The police had recorded her statement at that time itself, she added.