Chhattisgarh police on Monday arrested Suresh Chandrakar, the key suspect in the murder of freelance journalist Mukesh Chandrakar, from Hyderabad. Suresh is Mukesh’s cousin.

Sources said that Suresh’s siblings, Ritesh Chandrakar and Dinesh Chandrakar, and Mahendra Ramteke were arrested on Saturday, a day after the body of the 33-year-old freelance journalist was found in a septic tank on a property belonging to the local contractor Suresh in Bijapur city of Chhattisgarh.

Mukesh, a contributor to several TV channels and known for his investigative reporting, recently alleged corruption in a Chhattisgarh road project in one of his reports. This prompted the state’s BJP government to order an inquiry into the project, whose contract had been awarded to Suresh.

The police suspect his murder is directly linked to hisexpose.

A preliminary probe revealed that another of Mukesh’s cousins, Ritesh, allegedly murdered him with the help of Mahendra and took help from 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 Chhattisgarh police officer.

“Suresh Chandrakar is the prime suspect and had been on the run. He was arrested by a special investigation team from Hyderabad,” said a Chhattisgarhpolice officer.

Ritesh was arrested in Raipur, while Dinesh and Mahendra, the road project’s construction supervisor, were nabbed in Bijapur.

“Raids are underway to arrest other suspects in the case,” the officer said.

Mukesh was reported missing by his elder brother Yugesh on New Year’s Day after informing a colleague in Raipur that he was meeting a local contractor. His body was found two days later in a septic tank on the premises of Suresh in Chattanpara Basti, Bijapur. The police had found the tank freshly sealed with a concrete slab.

Last month Mukesh uncovered a road construction scam in Bijapur, prompting an official investigation on local contractors. He had reported that the initial tender for the road project, meant to connect Gangalur and Hiroli in the Maoist hub of Bastar, was worth ₹50 crore but it later rose to ₹120 crore without any changes to the scope ofthe work.

Following the report, the state government ordered an inquiry into alleged irregularities involving contractors in general, creating ripples within the region’s powerful contractors’ lobby.

Sources said Mukesh had played a key role in securing the release of a CoBRA commando abducted by Maoists after the Tekulguda massacre in April 2021 in which 29 security personnelwere killed.

Mukesh started his journalism career in 2012 and later created an YouTube channel, Bastar Junction, which has over 1.59 lakh subscribers. A resident of Basaguda village in Bijapur, Mukesh is known for his investigative stories and fearless reportage onlocal issues.

On Saturday, media bodies strongly condemned his brutal murder and demanded a thorough probe and safeguards for reporters.