Mukesh Chandrakar killed: Key accused in Chhattisgarh journalist’s murder case arrested in Hyderabad

Mukesh Chandrakar murder: The prime accused in the Chhattisgarh journalist's murder case was arrested in Hyderabad. The accused, identified as Suresh Chandrakar, was taken into custody by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) from Hyderabad, a police official said on Monday.

Mukesh Chandrakar was a 33-year-old freelance journalist. He went missing on January 1. His body was found on January 3 in a septic tank on a property owned by Suresh Chandrakar at Chattanpara Basti in Bijapur town of Chhattisgarh, police earlier said.

An official told news agency PTI that the accused, Suresh Chandrakar, is a contractor by profession and has been absconding since the murder of journalist Mukesh Chandrakar came to light on January 3.

“The SIT, which was constituted to conduct the probe into the case, rounded up Suresh Chandrakar from Hyderabad late Sunday night,” the official said.

“His brothers Ritesh Chandrakar and Dinesh Chandrakar and supervisor Mahendra Ramteke have already been arrested in the case,” he said.

Earlier, IG Bastar P Sundarraj said, “Ritesh Chandrakar and Mahendra hit Mukesh Chandrakar, and Dinesh Chandrakar tried to hide the evidence. The role of contractor Suresh Chandrakar is also being investigated, and action will be taken accordingly.”

A news report highlighting alleged corruption in a road construction work in Bijapur that was shown on a media channel on December 25 is being discussed as the motive behind Mukesh Chandrakar's murder.

The said construction work was linked to contractor Suresh Chandrakar.

Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma claimed earlier that Suresh Chandrakar was a Congress leader. The opposition party, however, claimed the accused joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) recently.

Meanwhile, members of the Mahar community on Sunday took out a candle march to condemn the murder of the journalist. The candle march started from Ambedkar Bhawan and culminated at Jaistambh Chowk.

They demanded capital punishment for the accused. Patron of Mahar Samaj RD Jhadi said all the accused involved in the murder should be given stringent punishment. “We demand creating a conducive environment for journalists wherein they can independently report news,” he said.