Main accused in Chhattisgarh journalist’s murder arrested in Hyderabad

Bijapur: The main accused in the murder of journalist Mukesh Chandrakar has been arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in Hyderabad, police confirmed on Monday.

The accused, Suresh Chandrakar, a contractor, had been on the run since the journalist’s disappearance.

Bastar Zone Inspector General Sundarraj P said the SIT apprehended Suresh Chandrakar late Sunday night and brought him to Bijapur for questioning. Authorities have also initiated action against Chandrakar’s assets, freezing three of his bank accounts.

Meanwhile, local officials demolished a construction yard built by the accused on forest land along the Bijapur-Gangalur road.

The journalist, Mukesh Chandrakar, 33, went missing on January 1. His body was discovered on January 3 in a septic tank at a property owned by Suresh Chandrakar in Chattanpara Basti, Bijapur.

Mukesh Chandrakar, who freelanced for NDTV and managed the YouTube channel Bastar Junction with 1.59 lakh subscribers, was known for covering local issues.

Three co-accused in the case—Ritesh Chandrakar and Dinesh Chandrakar, Suresh’s brothers, along with supervisor Mahendra Ramteke—were earlier arrested. Investigations are ongoing.