A 40-year-old local journalist was burnt to death on Saturday night – allegedly by three persons suspected to be closely linked to the sand mafia.
The three suspects apparently set him ablaze over his refusal to withdraw a court case, police said yesterday.
The burnt body of Sandeep Kothari, who was abducted from Katangi tehsil in Balaghat district two days back, was found lying near the railway tracks at Sindi town in Wardha district of east Maharashtra on Saturday night, police said.
This is the second such incident in less than a month after a journalist, Jagendra Singh, was set afire – allegedly by a local policemen in Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur, on June 1.
Police have already arrested three persons, identified as Rakesh Nasvani, Vishal Dandi and Brijesh Duharwal – all from Katangi – in connection with Kothari’s murder.
The Sub-Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) J S Markam stated that the police suspected the trio to be engaged in illegal mining and also running chit fund companies. He said that they had allegedly kidnapped Kothari and set him ablaze.
According to a police statement, the group of three were pressuring Kothari – who was working as a tehsil correspondent for some Jabalpur-based Hindi dailies – to withdraw a case of illegal mining he had filed against some persons in a local court.
Police suspect Kothari was kidnapped and murdered because he refused to withdraw the matter.
We are investigating the case from all angles and a police team is camping in Nagpur. It will be premature to conclude the exact reason behind the kidnapping and killing.
– J S Markam, Sub-Divisional Officer of Police
Kothari was abducted on the night of June 19 when he was headed towards Umri village with his friend on his bike.
His bike was hit by a four-wheeler whose occupants beat up Kothari’s friend Rahandle who was riding pillion. Kothari was then bundled inside the vehicle, which drove off with him, claimed the SDOP.
The police have managed to seize the car used for kidnapping Kothari, Markam added.
(With PTI inputs)
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