Raipur: In a twist to the murder case of Chhattisgarh journalist Mukesh Chandrakar, his cousin Ritesh Chandrakar has been identified as the key accused.
The 28-year-old Mukesh’s body was recovered from a septic tank days after he exposed alleged corruption in a Rs 120-crore road construction project in the Bastar region. Under scanner was the concerned contractor, Suresh Chandrakar.
Ritesh, among three arrested for the murder of Mukesh, allegedly set up a meeting of the contractor with the journalist on the night of January 1. After the meeting, Mukesh went incommunicado and his phone was not available. Mukesh’s elder brother Yukesh Chandrakar filed a missing person report.
Besides Ritesh, police have arrested another family member Dinesh Chandrakar and Mahendra Ramteke. Suresh, the contractor at the centre of the corruption scandal, is on the run.
Police have intensified search for Suresh and formed four teams to track him down.
Sources said Mukesh and Ritesh shared a history of camaraderie and met frequently at the premises where the journalist’s body was found in a septic tank.
However, the fact that Mukesh was pursuing story to expose corruption in the road project had strained relationships.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra urged the BJP-helmed state government to take strict and immediate action against the culprits.
“The news of the murder of Bastar, Chhattisgarh journalist Mukesh Chandrakar is shocking. According to reports, Mukesh was brutally murdered after he exposed corruption in his report. I demand from the state government that strict and immediate action should be taken in this case, the culprits should be given severe punishment and proper compensation and job should be considered for the family of the deceased,” Priyanka posted on X.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to investigate Mukesh’s murder. Police have already seized three bank accounts of Suresh Chandrakar.
