The Mumbai Police has arrested seven suspects and claims to have solved the murder case of Mid Day investigative journalist Jyotirmoy Dey.

Mumbai Crime Branch sources said the suspects were tracked to various parts of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. All of them were from Mumbai. The suspects are expected to be produced in court on Monday.

Police said it was a case of contract killing.

Dey was Editor (special investigation) with English tabloid Mid Day and had extensively covered the underworld, crime and oil mafia for over two decades.

The 56-year-old journalist was shot dead on June 11 by four motorcycle-borne men in Powai. His murder sparked off widespread protests in the media, with national editors of major print and TV news networks meeting Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and seeking a thorough probe.

The Mumbai High Court too directed the Maharashtra government and the police to file a status report on the probe amidst the growing demand for a CBI inquiry.

As part of its investigation, the Mumbai Police accessed the personal emails of Dey and his mobile phone records. A senior officer, Assistant Commissioner of Police Anil Mahabole, came under the scanner and was questioned. Mahabole, however, claimed he was being framed.