Bastar: Police have arrested the main suspect in journalist Mukesh Chandrakar's murder case. The suspect had been on the run since the crime and has now been detained, an official said. According to the Bastar Police, the accused identified as Suresh Chandrakar, was apprehended in Hyderabad on Sunday night by the Special Investigation Team (SIT). Authorities are currently questioning him. Mukesh Chandrakar was brutally murdered, and his body was found in a septic tank on the property of private contractor Suresh Chandrakar. Police have already arrested three individuals--Ritesh Chandrakar, Dinesh Chandrakar, and Mahendra--in connection with the murder. The search for a Bijapur-based journalist, who had been missing since January 1, ended tragically when his body was found in a septic tank on the premises of a private contractor in the district on Friday. Mukesh Chandrakar was one of the interlocutors who played a key role in the release of a CRPF constable abducted by Naxals after an encounter in Bijapur in 2021. He was actively covering Naxal attacks, encounters, and other issues in Bastar. Recently, Chandrakar had done a story on the alleged corruption in road construction. An 11-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed to catch Suresh Chandrakar who is accused in the murder of Journalist Mukesh Chandrakar. Speaking to ANI, Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma said that journalist Mukesh Chandrakar was reporting on efforts to establish peace and combat naxalism in Bastar. "Mukesh Chandrakar was covering the areas of inner Bastar, Bastar Junction, for establishing peace in Bastar, for ending the naxalism from Bastar. This murder happened through the conspiracy of Congress leader Suresh Chandrakar, the police immediately took action and registered an FIR. An 11-member SIT has been formed," Chhattisgarh DyCM said.
