The main accused in the murder of journalist Mukesh Chandrakar has been arrested from Hyderabad on Sunday night. Suresh Chandrakar, a contractor, is believed to be the alleged mastermind behind the murder. He was on the run since the incident came to light.
According to the police, Suresh was hiding at his driver’s residence in Hyderabad. To track him, the police reviewed footage from 200 CCTVs and traced nearly 300 mobile numbers.
The police are currently interrogating Chandrakar, officials said.
Chandrakar’s wife has also been taken into custody in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district and is being interrogated, officials added.
Chandrakar’s body was found in a septic tank in a shed owned by a contractor in Chattisgarh’s Bastar division last week. The independent journalist, who was also a contributing reporter for NDTV, was last seen leaving his home in Bijapur’s Pujari Para on New Year’s Day. When he did not return, the journalist’s brother, Yukesh, filed a missing complaint the next day.
After beginning an investigation, police found the 32-year-old’s body in Chhatan Para Basti, not very far from his home.
Three people, including two of Chandrakar’s relatives, have also been arrested in the case. While his cousin, Ritesh Chandrakar, was arrested from Raipur airport on Saturday, Mahendra Ramteke, a supervisor, and Dinesh Chandrakar, another relative of the victim, were taken into custody from Bijapur.
