Journalist Investigating Organized Crime Murdered in India

Gujarat based journalists from the print and electronic media fraternity stage a silent protest in memory of slain Mumbai based reporter, Jyotirmov Dey outside the Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad on June 14, (Sam Panthaky/AFP/Getty Images)

An organized crime investigative journalist for India’s Mid-Day newspaper was killed on Wednesday. Jyotirmoy Dey was shot in the back five times by four men on two motorcycles as he was returning home to Powai, a northern suburb of Mumbia, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Dey was considered an authority on the oil mafia situation in India and had been reporting on the topic for the past 20 years.

Indian media initially suspected oil gang members to be responsible for Dey’s death, however, officials said that Dey had never targeted any particular gang or group in his writing, nor had he been working on big stories.

While one news agency reported that Dey had recently received threats on his life by oil mafia members in India, Mumbai’s police commissioner said that Dey had not filed any complaints about these threats, in the recent past.

Police could have had a part in Dey’s murder, reported RSF.

“An assistant police commissioner, Anil Mahabole, was suddenly transferred to an insignificant post on June 13 after reportedly being investigated for possible threats against Dey.”

Mahabole was under investigation for threatening another Mumbai journalist, Tarakant Dwivedi.

Mahabole allegedly threatened Dey a few years ago when Dey identified him as one of the police officers with links to the oil mafia.