Chandrika Rai, a journalist with a local Hindi newspaper, was killed along with his entire family in Umaria town, 500km east from Bhopal, three years ago.
Rai, his wife Pushpa and their teenage son Jalaj and daughter Neha, were found dead in their house on February 18, 2012. It was suspected that he was killed at the behest of the coal mafia. Rai’s reports had led to the seizure of illegally transported coal worth Rs 80 lakh. Besides, dozens of cases were registered against the coal and mining mafia on the basis of his reports and complaints.
The police initially said that it was the handiwork of a criminal gang. However, the special task force (STF) later conducted investigation and said that the district police had been too quick to reach a conclusion and it was Rai’s driver who had committed the crime.
However, no one was convinced with the police theory. The sensational case remains a mystery till date, despite the CBI still probing the case.