J Dey murder: Will Chhota Rajan’s call be treated as confession?

The crime branch is examining the possibility of using underworld don Chhota Rajan’s phone call to a television channel, in the course of which he claimed responsibility for the killing of senior journalist J Dey, as his extra-judicial confession.

“Although he did not mention any clear motive for the killing, his act of claiming responsibility over the telephone could be used in a court of law. We are examining the possibility of using the said telephonic conversation between Rajan and the reporter as an extra-judicial confession,” said a police officer.

He added: “It has been established that the caller was indeed Rajan. The caller’s voice matched with Rajan’s voice samples available with the voice data bank of the city police.”

The police will also record the statement of the journalist who had received Rajan’s phone call. According to sources, the police have already recorded the statements of 301 witnesses — including those who were present at the spot, other journalists, policemen, the staff of Uma Palace Bar in Mulund, Dey’s family members and people present at the places where the seven suspects involved in the operation took shelter after the killing.

Dey was shot dead by four motorcycle-borne people near a mall in Powai on June 11. Eight people owing allegiance to the Rajan gang, including shooter Satish Kalya and Vinod Asrani alias Vinod Chembur, were nabbed by the crime branch.