3 Arrested for Killing C'garh Journo: Police

Police arrested three people on Saturday in connection with the murder of journalist Mukesh Chandrakar in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, while the alleged mastermind—a local road contractor—remains absconding.

- Ritesh Mishra

The body of Chandrakar, 33, who went missing on January 1, was discovered in a freshly sealed septic tank at contractor Suresh Chandrakar's premises in Chattan Para area on January 3. The victim had multiple injuries on his head, back, stomach, and chest, inflicted by hard and blunt objects, police said.

The investigation began when Mukesh's elder brother Yukesh Chandrakar reported his disappearance to the Kotwali police station at 7:30 pm on January 2, nearly 24 hours after he was last seen.

Inspector General of Police, Bastar region, Sunderraj P gave new details of how the victim's body was found. Initial searches of Suresh Chandrakar's premises on January 2 yielded no results, but suspicions arose when investigators noticed a newly floored septic tank in the badminton court area. "Around 2:30 PM on January 3, in the presence of the tehsildar and FSL team, the new flooring was broken with the help of a JCB machine. Upon opening the septic tank lid, we discovered Mukesh Chandrakar's body," the IG said.