BHOPAL : The name of Nagpur-based business has surfaced in the murder case of Balaghat journalist. A police team has been dispatched to trace the businessman. As per ASP Niraj Soni, Rahul Kothari, brother of Sandeep Kothari informed that police that Nagpur based business Gudda Bhai and one of accused Vishal Dandi who is in police custody, purchased the land of a tribal in Baihar (Balaghat) in partnership. The duo had to pay Rs 3 lakh as commission to Sandeep Kothari. But Vishal did not pay the commission.
Thereafter, Sandeep Kothari filed a defamation case against 17 people, including Vishal for describing the issues for which Sandeep was fighting as fake and forged. This defamation irked Vishal and his friends.
SIT chief Jaganath Markam said, “Payment of the ‘commission’ in the land deal seems to be the bone of contention between the accused and the deceased.
Of the three accused, Rakesh Nasvani is still on the run. Police team conducted raids at various places to trace him. Two accused Brijesh and Vishal are already in police custody and they are being interrogated”. Collector says Kothari was a criminal, Minister calls him journalist
The statements being given by government and the administrative officers in the case of murder of journalist Sandeep Kothari by mining mafia in Balaghat district are mutually contradictory. An audio recording of Balaghat Collector V Kirangopal went viral on Tuesday in the social media. Kiran Gopal, in the audio, is heard terming Kothari a criminal and asking the journalists not to make his murder a big issue.
On the other hand, Health Minister Narottam Mishra, in an interaction with journalists, said Kothari was a journalist and that the government would consider whatever help could be given to his family. Mishra said the government was taking the incident seriously and strict action would be taken against the criminals.
