Balaghat (MP): A 40-year-old local journalist was allegedly murdered by three persons involved in illegal mining who kidnapped him and set him ablaze apparently over his refusal to withdraw a court case, the police said Sunday.
The burnt body of Sandeep Kothari, who was abducted from Katangi tehsil in Balaghat district two days back, was found dumped in a farm at Butibori area in Nagpur Saturday night, they said.
The police has arrested three persons in connection with Kothari’s murder, sub-divisional officer of police (SDOP) J.S. Markam said.
The police suspects the accused, identified as Rakesh Nasvani, Vishal Dandi and Brijesh Duharwal, who hailed from Katangi, had allegedly kidnapped Kothari and set him ablaze, Mr Markam said, adding the trio were engaged in illegal mining and also running chit fund companies.
They were pressurising Kothari, who was working as a tehsil correspondent for Jabalpur-based Hindi dailies, to withdraw a case of illegal mining he had filed against some persons in a local court. The journalist had refused. His bike was hit by a four-wheeler and its occupants bundled him inside the vehicle and fled, police said.
