Main accused in Chhattisgarh journalist’s murder arrested

Suresh Chandrakar, the main accused person in the murder of journalist Mukesh Chandrakar in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, was arrested in Hyderabad on Sunday night, the police said.

He was taken into custody by a Special Investigation Team set up to investigate the murder case.

Suresh Chandrakar, a contractor, had been absconding since the murder came to light on Friday, PTI quoted an unidentified police official as saying.

Mukesh Chandrakar, who ran the YouTube channel Bastar Junction, frequently investigated and reported on corruption, tribal rights and insurgent violence in conflict-hit Bastar. His body was discovered in a septic tank near the contractor’s home in Bijapur on Friday.

#WATCH | Prime accused of journalist Mukesh Chandrakar's murder case, Suresh Chandrakar, who was absconding after the crime, has been detained. The accused was detained from Hyderabad late last night by the SIT and he is being questioned

In Bijapur, SIT in-charge, Mayank Gurjar… pic.twitter.com/f4hCz9Wb7D— ANI (@ANI) January 6, 2025

The journalist had recently reported on alleged corruption in a road construction project, prompting an inquiry by the Chhattisgarh government. The 52.4 km project on the Nelson-Kodoli-Mirtur-Gangalur route had been commissioned in 2010 at a cost of Rs 73 crore, but the cost increased to Rs 189 crore by 2021, The Indian Express reported.

Suresh Chandrakar was tasked with building a section of the road in 2015. Scroll learnt that...

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