The body of Akshat Agarwal, a 25-year-old son of steel businessman Mahesh Kedia, was found with multiple gunshot wounds on Wednesday. The body was found in a Hyundai car parked near a forest along the Ambikapur-Manendragarh road in Surguja district.
Akshat, who was the son of the Director of Ambika Steel Industries, had left his home in his Hyundai car on Tuesday evening. After his phone went silent at 6:30 p.m., his family reported him missing to the police.
On Wednesday morning, local residents noticed the car parked suspiciously near Chathirma Gaushala. Upon seeing, they found Akshat’s lifeless body in the driver's seat and alerted the police. A team led by Additional SP Amolak Singh and SHO Pradeep Jaiswal, along with forensic experts, confirmed that Akshat had been shot three times—twice in the chest and once in the stomach. Initial reports suggest that the revolver used belonged to Akshat.
In addition, along with the body, police recovered three unlicensed revolvers from the car. During the investigation, authorities arrested Sanjeev Mandal, a former real estate broker who had previously worked at Ambika Steel Industries. Mandal was seen with Akshat in the car on Tuesday.
Further investigation revealed that Mandal had borrowed Rs 50,000 from Akshat. The police suspect that Mandal may have killed Akshat to avoid repaying the loan. They also recovered Rs 47,000 in cash, along with a gold chain, bracelet, and ring belonging to the deceased, from Mandal’s possession.
Mandal claimed he was hired by Akshat to kill him, but police are skeptical of this assertion and believe the case involves robbery and murder. The motive behind the crime remains unclear as the investigation continues. Akshat Agarwal was cremated in Ambikapur.