Three persons who were detained in connection with the murder of senior journalist Jyotirmoy Dey here, have been let off, police said on Thursday.

Three suspects--Anwar, Mateen Iqbal Hatela and Shaikh-- believed to be associated with gangster Chhota Shakeel were picked for questioning on Wednesday to ascertain their possible role in Dey's killing.

However, they were let off late last night and will be called for questioning if required, a senior police official said today without divulging further details.

The trio was picked by the Powai police from Mumbra in adjoining Thane district and handed over to the Crime Branch, which is probing the case, police said.

Also, a car in possession of Anwar was seized. The vehicle was suspected to have been used in the June 11 murder in Powai. The three were believed to be working for fugitive gangster Shakeel, a key aide of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, and their antecedents were being verified, they said.

56-year-old Dey, Editor (Special Investigation), with Mid-Day, who extensively covered underworld and crime for over two decades, was shot dead in broad daylight by four motorbike-borne assailants last Saturday.