Chattisgarh-based journalist Mukesh Chandrakar was found dead on Friday, in a septic tank on a local contractor's property in Bijapur district. He had recently exposed the contractor in a scam related to a road project.
The 33-year-old journalist worked as a contributor for mainstream news channels including NDTV and has extensively reported on corruption and Maoist conflicts in the region. He also ran a YouTube channel, 'Bastar Junction', with 1.59 lakh subscribers.
Chandrakar 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.
According to a report by the Hindustan Times citing police sources, Chandrakar had gone to meet the contractor whom he had recently exposed through his report, shortly after receiving a call from his cousin.
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.
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.
(With inputs from PTI)