Senior cop grilled over Dey murder

Mahabole was questioned for five hours on Saturday and he could be questioned again if required, police said on Sunday. The ACP is reported to have said that he had nothing to do with the attack in suburban Powai on June 11.

Police, meanwhile, said the anonymous phone call from Yemen claiming that Indian Mujahideen (IM) was behind the murder could be a hoax.

“The probe indicates it was a hoax call. But we want to double check before coming to a conclusion that it was a hoax call. We are in touch with the authorities of Yemen,” a senior police officer said.

On Saturday,  an anonymous caller phoned at the police control room from Yemen claiming that the IM had hired shooters from Hyderabad, Bihar and Srinagar and paid Rs 4 lakh to kill Dey.

A top crime branch official said, “Mahabole was questioned for several hours yesterday. His statement was recorded and he was allowed to go. During the interrogation, Mahabole claimed that he had cordial relations with Dey and he had no role in the murder.”

Crime Branch sources said he was questioned for over five hours, during which, the ACP appeared tense and kept on repeating that he had nothing to do with the killing.

Mahabole had, in 2005, filed a criminal defamation case against Dey following his news report, in which, the ACP’s reputation was allegedly put in a bad light, police said. One more Public Interest Litigation was filed in the Bombay High Court, seeking CBI probe into the murder, on Saturday.