J Dey murder case: Chhota Rajan found guilty by special MCOCA court, journalist Jigna Vora acquitted

Gangster Chhota Rajan has been found guilty by a special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court of the murder of journalist Jyotirmoy Dey. The court also found eight others guilty on Wednesday, CNN-News18 said. Two other accused — journalist Jigna Vora and Chhota Rajan gang member Paulson Joseph — were acquitted by the court.Vora and Joseph had both been out on bail since July 2012. The guilty verdict against Chhota Rajan is the gangster's first conviction in India, after he was arrested in Bali, Indonesia, in October 2015. He is currently lodged in Delhi's Tihar Jail.Here is the list of those acquitted and convicted in the verdict on Wednesday, according to reports:

• Chhota Rajan (ordered the killing): Convicted
• Satish Kalya (shooter): Convicted
• Anil Waghmode (conducted recce): Convicted
• Arun Dake (one of the bikers): Convicted
• Mangesh Agawane (conducted recce): Convicted
• Sachin Gaikwad (one of the biker): Convicted
• Abhijit Shinde (one of the biker): Convicted
• Nilesh Shengde (conducted recce): Convicted
• Vinod Chembur (co-conspirator and financer, deceased): Convicted
• Deepak Sisodia (weapon supplier): Convicted
• Joseph Paulson (provided sim cards): Acquitted
• Jigna Vora (journalist)- Acquitted

[caption id="attachment_1162523" align="alignleft" width="380"] Journalist J Dey. Courtesy: IBNLive[/caption]According to investigators, Rajan ordered the killing of Dey, a veteran crime reporter of Mumbai.Dey, 56, editor (investigations) of Mid-Day, and was shot dead on 11 June, 2011, near his Powai residence in central suburban Mumbai, sending shockwaves in the media circles across the country.The investigations were initially conducted by police, but were taken over by the Crime Branch due to its ramifications.On 25 November, 2011, the police arrested Vora, then deputy bureau chief of The Asian Age, Mumbai, with 10 others. It emerged during the probe that Vora was allegedly in regular contact with Chhota Rajan and provoked him to eliminate Dey.The 11th accused Vinod Asrani alias Vinod Chembur, who was allegedly the main co-conspirator and financier of the entire operation, died of natural causes in April 2015 at a private hospital. He had "pointed out" Dey to the gunmen that morning, it was claimed.After Rajan's arrest, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the probe and made him an accused in a supplementary chargesheet. As much as Rs 5 lakh was paid for the contract killing, including Rs 2 lakh as advance.According to special public prosecutor Pradip Gharat, three accused had got recorded in the court their confessional statements for their roles in the crime. A total of 155 witnesses were examined during the trial.With inputs from agencies