Cousins killed Chhatisgarh journalist in brutal fashion for reporting on road scams involving them, reveals SIT probe

Freelance journalist Mukesh Chandrakar whose body was found in a septic tank in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Jan 3 was gruesomely murdered by his cousins who were enraged by his reportage on corruption in road construction contracts involving them, Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the murder said on Jan 9.

The autopsy revealed around 15 fractures to Mukesh’s skull, broke his neck, and ripped his heart out before dumping him in a septic tank and covering it with cement, according to SIT.

Mukesh’s December 24 story which highlighted ₹ 120 crore road construction scam allegedly by contractor and his cousin Suresh Chandraker in Bastar prompted the state government to order an inquiry.

The story however angered his cousins — Suresh, Ritesh, Dinesh, and Mahendra Ramteke, a supervisor working with the main suspect, who hatched a plan to kill the journalist.

Mukesh (32), who also contributed reports to leading news channels including the NDTV, mostly reported on corruption-related incidents in the Bastar division, an area that is considered notoriously difficult for reporters.

Following the recent report, contractor Suresh Chandrakar (42) planned the murder, with his brothers Ritesh and Dinesh days before the actual killing on Jan 1, SIT said in its five-page long note, which accused Suresh of misleading the police, lying particularly about his connection with his brother Ritesh.

Suresh, Ritesh, Dinesh, and another suspect Ramteke were arrested on murder charges on Jan 4 and 5, days after Mukesh’s body was found.

Mukesh was last seen leaving his home in Bijapur district on Dec 31. His brother, Yukesh, filed a missing complaint the next day and informed the police about the last location updated on the journalist's phone — a shed owned by his cousin and contractor Suresh in Chhatan Para Basti, not so far from their home.

Providing details about the sequence of events leading to the sensational murder, SIT further said that police found 17 rooms for workers, which were locked, and a newly cemented septic tank. Suresh claimed the tank was cemented as part of renovations, but the officials grew suspicious.

Call detail records revealed that journalist Mukesh's last two calls were from Ritesh. CCTV footage revealed that Ritesh was seen on Jan 2 at the Kondagaon toll plaza and later at Raipur airport, boarding a flight to Delhi. This further deepened suspicions.

The case was cracked after police took Dinesh, one of the accused into the custody from Bijapur Hospital. After hours of sustained interrogation, Dinesh confessed that Ritesh and one of their supervisors, Mahendra Ramteke, murdered Mukesh using an iron rod and hid his body in the septic tank.

Pertinently on Jan 3, police in the presence of forensics and administrative officials uncovered Mukesh's body buried in a septic tank on the farmhouse premises of Suresh where Mukesh had gone to meet Suresh’s brother Ritesh.

The budding journalist's YouTube channel, ‘Bastar Junction’ had around 165,000 subscribers, and he was increasingly gaining popularity, especially in Bastar for his fearless reporting on public issues.

‘Lured for last dinner’

On Jan 1, Mukesh was lured to the shed by Ritesh on the pretext of having dinner together. He was beaten, strangled, and stabbed. The body was hidden in the septic tank, which was later sealed with cement.

Mukesh's phones were smashed and thrown into the Tumnar River to destroy evidence.

Suresh was arrested in Hyderabad on Jan 5 with the assistance of the Maharashtra, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh police.

Suresh had also withdrawn a huge amount of money from his bank account on December 27 last year, four days before the incident, the SIT note said.

To crack the murder mystery, tools like artificial intelligence and open source intelligence (OSINT) were used to analyze digital evidence, including over 100 call records and deleted mobile data.

The crime scene was recreated twice to verify the confessions. Forensic teams also recovered critical evidence, including the murder weapon and blood-stained clothes.