Meet Jigna Vora, Contestant In Bigg Boss 17 And Former Journalist Framed In A Murder Case

On October 15, 2023, the premiere of Bigg Boss 17 disclosed that former journalist Jigna Vora will be a contestant this year. She is a media personality who needs no introduction. Before going into the house, she discussed a few details about her past with Salman Khan.

She mentioned spending some time in jail because she was framed in a case. Khan said that no one should have to go through this. Here is all you need to know about the former Mumbai-based crime reporter.

Who Is Jigna Vora?

Image Courtesy: Instagram/jignavora21

Born in 1974, Vora is a former journalist and an author. Netflix’s ‘Scoop’ starring Karishma Tanna as the lead is a story based on her life. After being falsely accused in a murder case and spending time in jail, Vora wrote ‘Behind The Bars In Byculla: My Days In Prison’, which served as an insight into her life for the makers of the OTT series.

Vora was a prime suspect in the murder case of Mid-Day reporter Jyotirmoy Dey. On June 11, 2011, Dey was reportedly returning from Ghatkopar post meeting his mother. Around 3 pm, four unidentified men surrounded him while riding their motorcycles and opened fire at him in Powai.

Though the late reporter was taken to the nearby hospitals, due to lack of facilities, he was rushed to Hiranandani Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival. Mumbai Police was investigating the case and connected the murder to his reporting on the oil mafia.

It was his report that revealed the illegal transportation of pilfered oil. It also pointed out that the oil was being diluted before sale. According to this investigative report, Chhota Rajan was the mastermind behind the shooting of Dawood Ibrahim’s brother Iqbal Kaskar in Mumbai.

Dey’s murder was criticised by the media community and the government. Under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, Vora was booked by the police along with 10 other accused, including Chhota Rajan. She was the deputy chief of the bureau of the Mumbai office of The Asian Age.

Rajan said that Vora provoked him to murder Dey, but Sachin Kalbag, who was the executive editor of Mid-Day, said that Vora was “too junior” to be in rivalry with Dey. On November 25, 2011, Vora was detained by the Mumbai Police, and on July 27, 2012, she was granted bail.

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‘Behind The Bars In Byculla: My Days In Prison’

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Published in 2019, ‘Behind The Bars In Byculla: My Days In Prison’ is Vora’s account of being falsely accused of murder and spending time in jail.

“At 5.30 pm, dinner was served inside the barracks. On my aluminium plate, I had two chapatis, dal and some vegetables. Strands of black hair floated in the watery dal. I put the plate aside and wept again. Pangs of pain cramped my stomach. I had hardly eaten since my arrest. I felt weak and exhausted, but I could not bring myself to eat the food I had been served,” reads an excerpt from the book.

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She recounted the hard time she had inside the jail. From a renowned journalist to an accused among other inmates, Vora shared grave details in her book. Though she was acquitted a few years later, the trauma (Wrong Parenting And Trauma) remained.

“I had just fallen asleep when a sudden commotion woke me up. It was 5.30 am, time to wake up so that the jail officials could do a headcount. Each inmate was paired with another accused of a similar crime and asked to sit in the centre of the barrack. The gravity of the crime decided the order. Accused chain snatchers, pickpockets, robbers and murderers – all sat in order. I sat alone,” read another passage in the book.

Despite all the difficulties, Vora emerged victorious, a win for which she had paid a heavy price. We hope she will showcase to the world how strong she is and reaches far ahead in Bigg Boss 17.