Suresh Chandrakar, the main accused person in the murder of journalist Mukesh Chandrakar in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, was arrested in Hyderabad on Sunday night, the police said.

He was taken into custody by a Special Investigation Team set up to investigate the murder case.

Suresh Chandrakar, a contractor, had been absconding since the murder came to light on Friday, PTI quoted an unidentified police official as saying.

Mukesh Chandrakar, who ran the YouTube channel Bastar Junction, frequently investigated and reported on corruption, tribal rights and insurgent violence in conflict-hit Bastar. His body was discovered in a septic tank near the contractor’s home in Bijapur on Friday.

The journalist had recently reported on alleged corruption in a road construction project, prompting an inquiry by the Chhattisgarh government. The 52.4 km project on the Nelson-Kodoli-Mirtur-Gangalur route had been commissioned in 2010 at a cost of Rs 73 crore, but the cost increased to Rs 189 crore by 2021, The Indian Express reported.

Suresh Chandrakar was tasked with building a section of the road in 2015. Scroll learnt that he had earlier served as a special police officer from 2005 to 2007, when he was engaged primarily as a cook for a former superintendent of police.

The Chhattisgarh Police had on Saturday arrested three suspects in connection with the murder. They are Ritesh Chandrakar, Dinesh Chandrakar and construction supervisor Mahendra Ramteke.

The police had alleged that Ritesh Chandrakar, with the help of Ramteke, killed Mukesh Chandrakar during an argument about the journalist’s alleged reporting on the road project. Dinesh Chandrakar and Suresh Chandrakar had allegedly helped dispose of the body.

Organisations representing news outlets have expressed shock about the murder and have urged the state government to ensure a speedy investigation.

The Editors Guild of India on Saturday said that the murder was a matter of “grave concern” and “raises suspicions of foul play”.