'We will teach the culprits a lesson'

Jyoti Dey, known as J Dey in Mumbai's journalism circle, was one of the leading crime reporters in the city. He was shot dead by suspected members of the underworld near his residence at Powai on Saturday afternoon.

He was killed by unidentified assailants on motorcycles while he was on his way to xerox some documents near D Mart mall in suburban Powai on Saturday afternoon.

Expressing shock over the incident, Home minister R R Patil said, "I have already spoken to the police commissioner. We will get to the bottom of the case in the next two days. We will teach them such a lesson that they will not think about attacking another unarmed innocent journalist again."

He added that the government will provide security to crime reporters if they ask for it.

Jyotirmoy Dey, 56, was unarguably one of Mumbai's top crime reporters.

Dey's journey in journalism began when he started contributing feature stories to Afternoon newspaper in 1993-1994.
In 1996, he joined the Indian Express and later took up crime reporting, honing his skills in the field.

He made a name for himself through his investigative reporting that led to new insights into the world of crime.

During his long stint with the Indian Express, Dey was known for his series Notes from Underworld.

His most outstanding investigative story till date remains the transcript of a conversation between actors Aishwarya Rai and Salman Khan that was published in the Hindustan Times. The transcript revealed the nexus between the film industry and the underworld.

Dey had recently authored two books -- Zero Dial and Khallas.

Zero Dial, which was published a few months ago, was based on the shady world of police informers.

Dey was an avid trekker who wrote about his outdoor expeditions. His favourite destination was Goa.

"He was an inscrutable person and always had an air of mystery around him," said a former crime reporter.

"We are in a state of complete shock. The police have started their investigations. It is too premature to talk about which of his reports could have led to this. He had written a number of stories on bureaucratic and political corruption and the underworld," said Mid Day editor Sachin Kalbag.