Mumbai, June 13: Police on Monday released a sketch of one of the four suspected killers of crime reporter Jyotirmoy Dey even as the journalist fraternity took out a silent rally and threatened of a hunger strike after its key demand of a CBI probe was rejected by the Maharashtra government.
The sketch was based on description given by a witness, who saw the suspects escaping after the incident.
The suspect, who pumped five bullets into Dey in broad daylight in suburban Powai on Saturday, is in the age group of 20-25 years, and of medium built with a height of 5.5 feet.
The man of dark complexion was wearing a blue raincoat.
Journalists under the banner of Patrakar Halla Virodhi Kruti Samiti (PHVKS) marched to Mantralay and met Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan demanding, among other things, a CBI probe, arrest of the killers, resignation of Home Minister R R Patil and suspension of Police Commissioner Arup Patnaik.
Chavan turned down the demand of CBI probe and Patil’s resignation saying police are hopeful of a breakthrough soon, PHVKS president S M Deshmukh said.
However, Chavan assured them that their demand of introduction of a bill on making attack on journalists a cognisable and non-bailable offence would be considered by the Cabinet on Wednesday, and if approved, it may be introduced in the monsoon session of state legislature next month.
Not satisfied, the journalists staged a sit-in outside Mantralay for some time.
After meeting Chavan, the PHVKS leaders told reporters, “We will wait till June 15 and (if not satisfied) will resort to a relay hunger strike. After a week, we will move the Bombay High Court and file a petition seeking CBI probe.”
The PHVKS representatives said they would also meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Union Home Minister P Chidambaram in Delhi seeking intervention.
“We are working on all angles and have got definite clues… We expect some good results and hope to crack the case,” Commissioner Patnaik told reporters.
A senior police officer said that if required, ACP Anil Mahabole, against whom Dey had written some articles, may be questioned.
“If I am called for questioning, I am ready to answer all the queries,” Mahabole said.
In another development, Joint Police Commissioner (Crime) Himanshu Roy said that the weapon used in the crime could be a 0.32 calibre revolver.
“It was a professional job and the accused must have conducted recce for the past few days,” he said.
“Five teams with at least 80 policemen have been working round the clock to crack the case. One team has also gone outside Mumbai as a part of the probe.”
So far, 15 to 20 people who are associated with oil mafia and underworld gangs have been questioned and probe indicates that the killing of Dey might be the handiwork of the people who were upset over the news articles he had written, he said.
“Dey had couriered some documents to the Philippines tourism marketing office in Delhi sometime before his killing.
We have asked the courier company not to deliver the documents to the Delhi address and instead get them back to us, which would help us in the probe,” Roy said.
Police are also studying the news articles Dey had filed for the tabloid Mid-Day, where he worked. They had already recovered his laptop, computer, CDs, mobile phone.
“Dey’s last call was from his wife, whom he told that he would be returning home after taking photocopies of some documents. But no documents were found at the site,” Roy said.
—Agencies