Missing journalist's body found in septic tank; murder case registered

Bijapur (Chhattisgarh), Jan 3 (PTI) The body of a 33-year-old journalist who had gone missing was found on Friday in a septic tank on a local contractor's property in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur city following which a case of murder was registered, police said.

Mukesh Chandrakar, the deceased, worked as a freelance journalist for news channels and also ran a YouTube channel, `Bastar Junction', which has some 1.59 lakh subscribers.

He went missing on the evening of January 1, and his elder brother Yukesh Chandrakar lodged a complaint with the police the next day, a senior police official said.

Tracking Mukesh's mobile number, police reached the property owned by contractor Suresh Chandrakar at Chattanpara Basti in Bijapur town and found the body, he said.

A murder case was registered and some suspects have been detained for questioning, the official added.

He, however, did not specify how Mukesh was killed, and whether the contractor was among those detained.

The autopsy report was awaited, he said.

Some local journalists said that Mukesh Chandrakar had done some stories on irregularities in road construction works in the area.

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said the culprits will be arrested at the earliest.

"The news of the murder of Bijapur's young and dedicated journalist Mukesh Chandrakar ji is very sad and heartbreaking. Mukesh ji's demise is an irreparable loss for journalism and society," Sai wrote on X.

"The culprit will not be spared under any circumstances. I have given instructions to arrest the criminals as soon as possible and ensure the harshest punishment for them," the CM added. PTI COR KRK