State rewards police team Rs 10 lakh for cracking case

Hours after the police declared that they had cracked the high-profile J Dey murder case with the arrest of seven men from the Chhota Rajan gang, state home minister RR Patil on Monday announced a cash award of Rs 10 lakh for the crime unit.

Hours after the police declared that they had cracked the high-profile J Dey murder case with the arrest of seven men from the Chhota Rajan gang, state home minister RR Patil on Monday announced a cash award of Rs 10 lakh for the crime unit.

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“The crime unit arrested seven people with evidence and we have decided to laud them by giving them a cash award of Rs 1 million [Rs 10 lakh] as a token of appreciation,” Patil told the media at Mantralaya.

The police, who have been under severe pressure, made the arrests 16 days after the senior crime reporter was gunned in Powai, on June 11.

“I was facing huge pressure along with the police department from all quarters – the public, politicians and media – to crack the case,” Patil admitted. He had limited his interactions with the media after the murder. The media had been demanding his resignation, while the Opposition had called him the “worst” home minister ever.

Patil said: “The number of policemen put on this case equals those assigned for the Mumbai blasts case. It was an attack on the fourth pillar of the state and it was serious.”

He said the motive for the murder would be disclosed as soon as the police figure it out. “The mastermind behind the murder, the people who supported it financially, no one will be spared,” Patil said.