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Jyotirmoy Dey Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 29, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth1955

Age56 Years (at time of death)

BirthplaceKolkata or Mumbai (sources differ)

ProfessionJournalist, Author

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

SpouseShubha Sharma

FamilyMother: Bina Dey (died 2017); Sister: Lina; Father: deceased before 2011

Jyotirmoy Dey Biography

Jyotirmoy Dey was an Indian investigative journalist and author best known for his reporting on the Mumbai underworld. He worked for publications including

Early life and background

Jyotirmoy Dey, often referred to as J. Dey or Commander J, was born in 1955. Sources list his birthplace as either Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), West Bengal, or Mumbai (formerly Bombay), Maharashtra. After finishing his studies in West Bengal, he initially took a job with Hindustan Lever before moving to Mumbai to pursue journalism.

Dey was tall, reported at about 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in). He had black hair and black eyes. He was married to Shubha Sharma and did not have children. His mother, Bina Dey, predeceased him in 2017; his father had also died prior to Dey’s murder. He had a sister named Lina.

Career

Dey began his journalistic career developing skills in reporting and photojournalism. Early assignments included coverage of wildlife and conservation issues, notably human-animal conflict and encroachment in Borivali National Park. His reporting on encroachment by vested interests drew attention from state legislators and marked him as a reporter unafraid to tackle contentious local issues.

He wrote as a freelancer for Afternoon Despatch and Courier and later joined Mid-Day, initially on a freelance basis before taking a full-time role. In 1996 he moved to The Indian Express and shifted his focus to crime reporting, concentrating on the Mumbai underworld. Dey subsequently had a stint at Hindustan Times and later returned to Mid-Day as crime and investigations editor, where he led reporting on a wide range of criminal stories.

Alongside his newspaper work, Dey authored books on organised crime in Mumbai. His published titles include Zero Dial: The Dangerous World of Informers and Khallas. He was known for cultivating sources inside the city’s criminal networks and for long-form investigative pieces that drew on those contacts.

Death and investigation

On 11 June 2011, while riding his motorcycle back from Ghatkopar where his mother lived, Dey was attacked in Powai near Hiranandani Gardens. Four motorcycle-borne assailants opened fire; he was taken first to a local hospital and then to Hiranandani Hospital, where he was pronounced dead after suffering multiple gunshot wounds.

Mumbai Police treated the killing as premeditated. Early lines of inquiry included his reporting on an oil mafia and his publication of material alleging the involvement of underworld figures in violent incidents. The Crime Branch took over the case and, within weeks, arrested several suspects believed to have links with the gang known as Nana Company, associated with Chhota Rajan.

Subsequent legal proceedings identified multiple accused. Authorities alleged that Chhota Rajan ordered the attack and that a contract shooter was paid to carry it out. In February 2012 charges under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act and other statutes were filed against Jigna Vora, a deputy chief at the Bureau of Asian Age, in connection with the investigation; she was later granted bail and was ultimately acquitted. In 2015 Chhota Rajan was arrested overseas and deported to India, after which central agencies took a role in the matter.

A MCOCA court delivered its judgment on 2 May 2018, sentencing Chhota Rajan and eight others to life imprisonment and imposing fines; others accused in the case were acquitted.

Public profile

Over the course of his career Dey built a reputation as a persistent crime reporter with deep contacts in Mumbai’s underworld. He covered stories that ranged from wildlife conflict to organised crime and published investigative books that explored the world of informers and the city’s gangster economy.

Dey was also known for personal touches that colleagues and readers noted: he was fond of his motorcycle and even gave it the pet name “Rani.” In recognition of his public profile and the impact of his death on the city, a chowk near the Powai Dmart was renamed J Dey Chowk in July 2016.

Latest updates

The events around Jyotirmoy Dey’s murder continued to resonate in popular culture. A 2023 web series, Scoop, drew loose inspiration from aspects of the case; characters in the series were based on people connected to Dey and the investigation.

Dey’s death remains a significant episode in modern Indian journalism, underscoring the dangers faced by reporters who investigate organised crime and corruption.
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Recent Work

Zero Dial: The Dangerous World of Informers

Book exploring informers and the Mumbai underworld

Unknown
Khallas

Book about Mumbai’s organised crime scene

Unknown
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Career Highlights

  1. Worked as crime and investigations editor at Mid-Day
  2. Reported on wildlife encroachment and human-wildlife conflict in Borivali National Park
  3. Authored books on the Mumbai underworld including Zero Dial and Khallas
  4. Investigative reporting that led to major police inquiries after his 2011 murder
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Jyotirmoy Dey born?

1955

What is Jyotirmoy Dey known for?

Journalist, Author

What is Jyotirmoy Dey’s marital status?

Married

Who is Jyotirmoy Dey married to?

Shubha Sharma