The main accused in the murder of journalist Mukesh Chandrakar, whose body was found in a septic tank in Chattisgarh last week, has been arrested from Hyderabad on Sunday night. Suresh Chandrakar, a distant relative and a contractor, is believed to be the alleged mastermind behind the murder. He was on the run since the incident came to light.
According to the police, Suresh was hiding at his driver’s residence in Hyderabad. To track him, the police reviewed footage from 200 CCTVs and traced nearly 300 mobile numbers.
The police are currently interrogating Chandrakar, officials said.
Earlier, four bank accounts linked to Suresh were frozen and an illegally constructed yard owned by him was demolished.
Chandrakar’s wife has also been taken into custody in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district and is being interrogated, officials added.
Chandrakar’s body was found in a septic tank in a shed owned by a contractor in Chattisgarh’s Bastar division last week. The independent journalist, who was also a contributing reporter for NDTV, was last seen leaving his home in Bijapur’s Pujari Para on New Year’s Day. When he did not return, the journalist’s brother, Yukesh, filed a missing complaint the next day.
After beginning an investigation, police found the 32-year-old’s body in Chhatan Para Basti, not very far from his home.
According to a post-mortem report, Chandrakar was attacked with a hard object and suffered severe injuries to his head, chest, back, and stomach. His body was identified through a tattoo on his hand.
Three people, including two of Chandrakar’s relatives, have also been arrested in the case. While his cousin, Ritesh Chandrakar, was arrested from Raipur airport on Saturday, Mahendra Ramteke, a supervisor, and Dinesh Chandrakar, another relative of the victim, were taken into custody from Bijapur.
How was Mukesh Chandrakar murdered?
Preliminary investigation revealed that the journalist’s cousin Ritesh and the supervisor Mahendra attacked Chandrakar with an iron rod, killing him on the spot, after an argument broke out between them during dinner. The duo then hid the body in a septic tank and sealed it with cement to conceal the crime, police said. They also disposed of Chandrakar’s phone and the iron rod with which they killed him.
While Dinesh allegedly supervised the cementing of the tank, Suresh was believed to the mastermind behind the plan.
Condolences pour in
Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma called Chandrakar’s murder “terrible, painful, and utterly wrong”. He also assured strong action against the accused.
The Press Association and the Editors Guild of India condemned the incident and urged the Chhattisgarh government to take steps to protect journalists, particularly those involved in field reporting and investigative journalism.
“The young journalist’s death is a matter of grave concern as it raises suspicion of foul play. The Editors Guild calls on the government of Chhattisgarh to spare no efforts in investigating the case speedily and bringing the guilty to book. The safety of journalists – especially those working in smaller towns and rural areas – is of paramount importance, and the Editors Guild demands that authorities across the country must do their best to ensure that no harm or hindrance is caused to any of them in discharging their professional duties,” the Guild said in a statement.
The Press Association, a leading body of journalists, said the tragic incident highlighted the urgent need for stronger safeguards to ensure journalists can perform their vital role without fear of retribution.
