'He Left When I Was Arrested': Jigna Vora Opens Up About Her Ex-Partner

Jigna Vora, a former journalist who faced allegations of being connected to the J Dey murder case in 2011, had participated in Bigg Boss 17, with Salman Khan. It's worth noting that Vora recently got eliminated from the show. However, during her stay on the show, Vora reflected on her past relationship while discussing a challenging time during her conversation with Munawar Faruqui. Recalling her arrest and the support she expected but didn't receive from her ex-partner, she shared how he left her amidst the turmoil. She emotionally mentioned that he was a prominent figure based in Baroda and potentially married during that period.

In tears, she expressed her sense of helplessness and how the turn of events affected her deeply. Recollecting the day of her arrest, she revealed, "I got arrested at 10:20 AM and he came from Ahmedabad to Mumbai. After seeing the breaking news of ‘Jigna Vora is arrested’, he instantly left." When asked about her feelings towards him and the possibility of moving on or harbouring resentment, she tearfully expressed, "Why will I hate him? How can I hate him? Everyone told me that he has to show his face to God. But I am unable to hate him."

Jigna Vora was acquitted of the charges, and she later documented her experiences in a book that served as the inspiration for a show on Netflix. Streaming platform Netflix's series Scoop, directed by filmmaker Hansal Mehta, followed the story of crime reporter who was accused of journalist J. Dey's murder and acquitted of all charges seven years later.

Scoop is inspired by Behind the Bars in Byculla: My Days in Prison, a biography written by a journalist and crime reporter that chronicles her experiences after being accused of the murder of another reporter. It starred Karishma Tanna in the lead role and earned both the Best Asian Series and Best Lead Actress accolades.

Who is Jigna Vora?

Vora was an Asian Age journalist. She was one of the two main suspects in the murder of Mid-Day reporter Jyotirmoy Dey. On June 11, 2011, J Dey was murdered by unidentified assailants in Hiranandani, Powai, while onlookers witnessed the incident. The murderers were eventually identified as being part of a seven-person group connected to the underworld gangster Chhota Rajan. After conducting an initial investigation, the Mumbai police charged Rajan and Vora. The case was handed off to the CBI in 2016.

In connection with the investigation, Mumbai police detained Vora on November 25, 2011. She was the deputy bureau chief of the Asian Age newspaper's Mumbai bureau at the time and was 37 years old. She was charged with giving Rajan vital details about Dey, including his residence and the licence plate number of his bike.

In February 2012, the Mumbai police filed a charge sheet against Vora under the strict guidelines of the Maharashtra Control Of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) and for a number of additional criminal offences. According to reports at the time, investigators discovered "circumstantial evidence" against Vora, including the three phone calls she was said to have placed to the gangster. She then clarified that Vora had called Rajan solely to arrange an interview.

According to Rajan, Vora provoked him to murder Dey due to their "professional rivalry." Sachin Kalbag, who was then the executive editor of Mid-Day, refuted Rajan's claim. In his interview with India Today, he claimed that Vora was "too junior" to Dey to be rivals.

Vora was granted bail and released on July 27, 2012. She was given bail since, according to the Press Trust of India, she was a single parent with a young child to take care of. Behind The Bars In Byculla: My Days in Prison is her story in her own words, of her time in prison, the court hearings, and her years as a crime reporter breaking many front-page stories. It was published in September 2019.

Suggested Reading: Bigg Boss 17: Who Is Sana Raees Khan, Last Minute Entrant To The Show?