Jigna Vora's story: The real tale behind Hansal Mehta's 'Scoop'
What's the story
After Scam: 1992, Hansal Mehta has returned with another web series that is based on a true story. Released on Netflix, Scoop, starring Karishma Tanna in the lead, is a show about a crime journalist who is accused of killing a fellow reporter.
Here's the real story behind the incident that put a journalist behind bars and shocked the entire nation.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Scoop is based on crime reporter Jigna Vora's book Behind Bars in Byculla: My Days in Prison. The series features Tanna in Vora's character as Jagruti Pathak. Directed by Mehta and Mrunmayee Lagoo Waikul, it also stars Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub.
The web series premiered on Friday (June 2) on Netflix with positive reviews, and has a total of six episodes.
About Vora
Meet Vora, the journalist who was accused of murder
Vora was a Mumbai-based crime journalist working with The Asian Age as the deputy bureau chief of the newspaper. She was 37 years old when she was made a suspect in the murder of a fellow journalist, back in 2011.
Vora was sent to prison for eight months, before she was released on bail in July 2012. She was later acquitted in the case.
The case
Everything to know about J Dey's murder case
A Mid-Day reporter, Jyotirmoy Dey was murdered on June 11, 2011, in Hiranandani, Powai. Vora was one of the two people who were accused of the crime and was detained on November 25 by the police.
She was accused of revealing Dey's personal information and address to underworld don Chhota Rajan.
The Mumbai Police also reportedly found circumstantial evidence against Vora during its investigation.
Vora and Rajan's conversation
Police found telephonic conversations between Vora and Rajan
The police filed a chargesheet against Vora in February 2012 after they found that Vora and Rajan were in touch through telephonic conversations. This claim was later rejected by The Asian Age's chief editor who said that Vora was talking to Rajan for an interview.
Meanwhile, Rajan also claimed that Vora wished for Dey's murder owing to rivalry and the journalistic rift between them.
CBI's investigation
In 2016, the case was transferred to CBI
Cut to the year 2016, Dey's murder case was transferred from Mumbai Police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Later, in May 2018, Vora was acquitted of the charges by a Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court.
According to media reports, the court observed that the circumstantial evidence against Vora was not enough to incriminate her.
The book
Vora recalled the events in her book
After her acquittal, Vora penned the book in which she recalled the events which took place after Dey's murder. In this, she wrote about the case, the time she spent in prison, and also about her journalistic work before she was accused of Dey's murder.
In an interview with Mid-Day, Vora once said, it was her confidence that did her in.
About Rajan
Where is Rajan now?
Notorious gangster Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje alias Chhota Rajan was convicted of Dey's murder in May 2018 by a Mumbai court. After being on the run for 27 years, on October 25, 2015, the Bali Police arrested Rajan in Indonesia. Days after his arrest, he was extradited to India on November 6, 2015.
Since then, he has been lodged in the Tihar Jail.