Journalist Laxmi Narayan Singh, 54, also known as Pappu, was brutally killed by unidentified assailants near a hotel, police said. The main accused involved in the case was arrested after a police encounter.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (City) Manish Shandilya informed that Singh, a professional journalist, succumbed to his injuries after the attack, according to PTI. According to Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP) Pushkar Verma, the attack took place on Thursday evening, when Singh was attacked with a sharp-edged weapon. He was immediately taken to Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital in critical condition, but doctors pronounced him dead upon arrival.
What did police say on accused?
Additional Commissioner of Police Ajay Pal Sharma on Friday said that evidence collected from the crime scene, along with eyewitness accounts, confirmed that Vishal and several accomplices were involved in the attack on Singh.
Vishal had bought a knife from Machhli Bazaar in Khuldabad, which was later used in the assault on Singh, the report noted. During a late-night encounter near the site of the incident, the accused sustained injuries after being shot three times in the legs and was subsequently admitted to a hospital, Sharma said.
Police are continuing efforts to locate another suspect involved in the murder, while two others have been taken into custody for questioning, the officer added. According to Sharma, preliminary findings indicate that the accused and the victim had a dispute a few days earlier, and investigators are still determining the exact reason behind it.
Journalist Mukesh Chandrakar killed in Chhatisgarh
In related news, freelance journalist Mukesh Chandrakar, 33, was allegedly murdered in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district for exposing irregularities in road construction projects. His body was found on January 3 this year, according to media reports. A charge sheet submitted on Tuesday stated the killing was reportedly orchestrated by contractor Suresh Chandrakar, his two brothers, and a supervisor.
To divert the investigation, the perpetrators disposed of Mukesh’s body in a septic tank and sealed it with a fresh concrete slab, according to an NDTV report.
The 1,200-page charge sheet, filed in a Bijapur court, identified the accused as contractor Suresh Chandrakar, his brothers Ritesh and Dinesh Chandrakar, and Mahendra Ramteke, the Bijapur Additional Superintendent of Police Mayank Gurjar confirmed. Police stated that Suresh Chandrakar was the primary conspirator, acting after Mukesh reported irregularities in the Nelasnar-Mirthur-Gangaloor road construction project managed by Suresh and his associates.
