Main accused in Chhattisgarh journalist Mukesh Chandrakar’s murder arrested in Hyderabad

“Suresh was arrested late at night on Sunday from Hyderabad,” said a senior police officer.

The police said on Saturday that Mukesh’s cousin Ritesh allegedly murdered him with the help of Mahendra, and also took help from his brothers Dinesh and Suresh to dispose of the body. “Ritesh was angry that despite being brothers, Mukesh was interfering in their work. This led to a heated argument,” said a senior police officer.

While addressing a press conference on Saturday, Chhattisgarh Home Minister Sharma said Mukesh had on December 25 reported poor road construction work, and the government ordered an inquiry. Suresh, it is learnt, was one of the contractors in the project and was upset with Mukesh about it.

A senior official from the Chhattisgarh government told The Indian Express, “In the aftermath of the murder, Chief Minister Vishnudev Sai decided to send a strong message against crime and criminals in the state. It was on his directive that the administration demolished a road construction plant of the main accused.”

A senior district administration official said the razed property belonged to Suresh Chandrakar, who has taken up several road construction projects and has tenders for three road projects. “The razed property was a construction yard and was made by encroaching on forest land. The place was used to make materials used in road construction work. The property was spread across over 3 acres. There were several vehicles, sheds, hardware materials and a hot mix plant. It’s a joint action taken by forest and revenue officials. We are checking if he has more illegal property… We have frozen three of his bank accounts,” said the official.

Mukesh’s body was found last Friday in a septic tank in Bijapur’s Chhatanpara Basti, located on Suresh’s residential premises, a day after his brother lodged a missing person report with the police.

A freelancer, Mukesh worked with media houses such as NDTV and News 18, and hosted a YouTube channel, Bastar Junction, with 1.59 lakh subscribers.

Anurag Dwary, Resident Editor, NDTV, said: “As a journalist, my colleague paid the ultimate price for exposing the truth. It’s a stark reminder of the risks journalists take daily in pursuit of accountability. We stand in solidarity with his family, and demand a swift and impartial investigation to bring those responsible to justice. His sacrifice will not be in vain, and we will continue his fight for transparency and justice.”