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Burnt body of Bihar missing journalist writing on ‘fake’ clinics found on highway: Report
Two days before he disappeared, the Right to Information (RTI) activist had written a post on Facebook in which he mentioned such clinics.
A 23-year-old journalist working on a scam involving medical clinics in Bihar’s Madhubani district was found dead days after he went missing. His burnt body was reportedly found tossed by the roadside near a village in the district.
An NDTV article said Buddhinath Jha or Avinash Jha was working for a local news portal and his recent work on “sham” clinics had led to the closure of several such stores in the area. Two days before he disappeared, the Right to Information (RTI) activist had written a post on Facebook in which he mentioned such clinics.
Jha was also said to have received threats and bribe offers worth lakhs as went about digging deeper into the issue.
The article further said Jha was last seen on Tuesday around 10pm near his house near Lohia Chowk in Benipatti, about 400m from the local police station.
According to footage available from close circuit cameras installed near his house, Jha walked out of his home a number of times towards the nearby lane talking over the mobile phone. He left his home one last time at 9.58pm with a yellow scarf around his neck. He then walked past the local chowk, another house and the Benipatti Police Station. A local said he saw Jha between 10.05 and 10.10pm in the market.
There had been no trace of him since then. After his family lodged a missing complaint on Wednesday, police searched for him in vain until Friday morning when his cousin received a call regarding a body found along the highway passing through Betoun village.
Jha’s remains were identified by a ring on his finger, a mark on his leg and a chain around his neck.
His last rites were conducted on Saturday.
