Year on,cops await forensic reports on Vora’s phones,PCs

The Crime Branch had seized seven mobile phones,some SIM cards and memory cards,a laptop and an office computer that were allegedly used by Vora at different times. “We are yet to receive the FSL reports on the mobile phones and computers used by Vora. This is the only thing remaining in the J Dey murder investigation,” said a Crime Branch officer.

FSL officials said the delay was owing to a huge backlog of cases pending with the laboratory.

On February 21,the Crime Branch had filed a supplementary chargesheet against Vora in the case before the special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court. The 1,471-page chargesheet against Vora,in three volumes,relied heavily on the testimonial evidence of 27 witnesses examined,whose statements ran into 155 pages. There were also three witness statements recorded by a magistrate under Section 164 of the CrPC. It did not,however,include physical evidence in the form of emails to prove allegations that Vora passed on Dey’s motorcycle number and his office and home addresses to fugitive gangster Chhota Rajan,or that she instigated Rajan by sending him unfavourable articles written by Dey.

Crime Branch officers had,at the time,said these angles could be covered once the analysis of Vora’s mobile phones and computers was completed. However,officers now say chances of getting fresh evidence are slim.

A senior Crime Branch officer said,“We are not expecting anything great to surface in the FSL reports,as we believe the accused would have taken steps to remove traces of any incriminating evidence,if at all such communication had been done through the phones and computers seized.”

While the Crime Branch has transcripts of calls between Rajan and other accused that allegedly spell out Vora’s role,it does not have a transcript of any conversation between Vora and Rajan.

On December 3 last year,the Crime Branch had filed an initial chargesheet against nine arrested and two wanted accused in the case,including Rajan. Dey was shot dead in Powai on June 11 last year by assailants who followed him on motorcycles allegedly at the behest of Rajan. The chargesheet said Rajan gave Rs 5 lakh to the accused for the murder contract.

Rajan had allegedly ordered Dey’s killing as the latter had written articles against him. Vora — who was working with Asian Age in Mumbai —instigated Rajan to eliminate Dey due to professional rivalry and made the licence plate number of the scribe’s motorcycle and his address available to Rajan,the Crime Branch has alleged.