Police in Mahasamund on Thursday arrested an independent councillor and two of his associates after the body of a 31‑year‑old man who went missing from Mandir Hasoud was recovered buried in river sand along the Mahanadi, officials said.

Victim identified, arrested
According to police, the deceased has been identified as Bhuvaneshwar (31), a resident of Nakti who worked as an operator at Monet company. He was reported missing by family members after he failed to return home on the evening of May 22. Local police in Mandir Hasoud registered a missing person complaint before the investigation led to Mahasamund.

Water dispute during drinking
Initial reports indicate Bhuvaneshwar had been drinking near a liquor kiln in Mandir Hasoud when an argument over water broke out with councillor Nohr Das Ratre (also known as Golu Ratre) and others, police said. Sources familiar with the probe told reporters the verbal spat escalated into a physical confrontation between Bhuvaneshwar and the councillor.

Taken to riverbank, beaten
Police said Ratre, along with two friends — identified as Amit Singh Rajput and Hemchand Banjare — allegedly forced Bhuvaneshwar into a car and drove him to a sandbank on the Mahanadi in Mahasamund. There the three men allegedly assaulted him with fists and kicks. The beatings reportedly left Bhuvaneshwar grievously injured; he succumbed at the spot, officials added.

Body concealed in sand
After the assault, the suspects, with the help of a relative from Nandgaon, allegedly dug a pit on a small sand island and buried the body to conceal evidence, Mahasamund police said. Family members and neighbours grew alarmed after contact was lost; Bhuvaneshwar’s wife had last spoken to him around 10pm on the night he went missing, according to ASP (Rural) Abhishek Jha.

Break in the case
Investigators tracked the victim’s last known location to the Mandir Hasoud area and questioned people who had been drinking with him. “On the basis of leads and suspicious movements, we detained three persons for questioning,” ASP Jha told reporters. Under sustained questioning, the three suspects confessed to the killing, police said.

Recovery and FIR
Following the admissions, police teams from Mandir Hasoud reached Mahasamund and carried out excavation at the spot pointed out by the suspects. The body was exhumed from the sand and recovered for post‑mortem. Because the incident and recovery fell under Mahasamund jurisdiction, local police registered a case under relevant sections, including provisions of BNS code 103, 238 and 3(5), and launched a formal murder investigation.

Family reaction, local scene
Relatives and neighbours were seen weeping outside Bhuvaneshwar’s home after the body was recovered. Residents told reporters they had known the victim for years; some said the accused councillor was a known local figure, and the arrest has stirred unease in the area. Police said they are interrogating the three suspects to establish motive, sequence of events and whether any other persons were involved.

Investigative steps ahead
Investigators are awaiting the post‑mortem report to establish cause and time of death, and have seized the vehicle allegedly used in the incident for forensic checks, officials said. Further forensic analysis is being carried out on the burial site to gather additional evidence. The enquiry will also examine whether prior disputes existed between the men and whether alcohol or other aggravating factors played a role.

Public safety and probe
Local authorities have assured residents of a fast‑tracked probe. “We are following all leads, carrying out forensic tests, and will file charge sheets as evidence permits,” an officer involved in the investigation said. Meanwhile, the Mandir Hasoud police continue to assist the Mahasamund team as the case proceeds.

In a major breakthrough, the Mahasamund police have arrested the absconding owner and director of Thakur Petrochemicals from Kolhapur, Maharashtra, in connection with the ₹1.5 crore LPG scam. The accused, identified as Santosh Singh Thakur and his son Sarthak Singh Thakur, had been evading arrest for over a month by frequently changing locations and shifting SIM cards.

A local court has remanded the duo to police custody after they were brought back to Chhattisgarh on a transit warrant. Investigating officials confirmed that the latest arrests bring the total number of individuals held in the case to six, with more high-profile arrests expected as the investigation reaches its final stages.

Multi-State Police Hunt Ends in Kolhapur

The father-son duo had managed to stay ahead of law enforcement by moving across multiple states. According to local police, tracking the fugitives required extensive technical surveillance. Cyber cells analyzed tower dump data across 11 cities, scrutinized call detail records (CDRs), and tracked vehicle movements at toll plazas and financial transactions.

Based on a definitive digital trail, four dedicated police teams were dispatched to different states. The breakthrough came when a team located and arrested the suspects from a hotel room in Kolhapur.

Suspended Food Officer Masterminded the Plot

The investigation reveals a deep-rooted nexus involving bureaucrats and local businessmen. Police sources stated that the entire operation was masterminded by the suspended Mahasamund District Food Officer, Ajay Yadav. Investigations indicate that Yadav utilized his official position to orchestrate the diversion of seized government property.

Pankaj Chandrakar, a local gas agency operator and political worker, allegedly acted as the primary coordinator, establishing links with buyers. Another businessman, Manish Choudhary, served as the mediator to negotiate financial terms between the various parties involved.

Seized Gas Disposed of via Fake Documents

The origin of the scam dates back to an enforcement action in the Singhoda police station area, where the Saraypali Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) caught six capsule trucks red-handed while gas was being pilfered from them. For safety reasons, the tankers were initially parked inside the Singhoda police station premises.

Subsequently, the administration handed over the safe custody of these tankers to the Food Department. Investigators revealed that Ajay Yadav used this opportunity to transfer the responsibility of securing the gas capsules to Thakur Petrochemicals’ facility in Urla, Abhanpur. Once the tankers reached the private facility, approximately 92 metric tonnes of LPG was illegally offloaded and sold in the open market using forged documents and cash memos to evade GST.

Financial Footprints and Profit Distribution

The police have established a clear paper trail regarding the illicit transactions, which total around ₹80 lakh out of an estimated market value of ₹1.5 crore. The initial demand by the perpetrators was ₹1.30 crore, but the deal was eventually struck at ₹90 lakh after week-long negotiations.

"The distribution of the scam proceeds was highly organized," an official privy to the probe stated. "Out of the collected amount, suspended officer Ajay Yadav received a lion's share of ₹50 lakh. Agency operator Pankaj Chandrakar took ₹20 lakh, while mediator Manish Choudhary received ₹10 lakh."

Further disclosures indicated that the physical exchange of cash took place at Chandrakar’s factory, 'Aastha Trolley', located in Paraswani village. Investigators are also looking into claims that certain food department officials accompanied Chandrakar in private vehicles during the execution of the logistics.

Facing Severe Criminal Charges

To give the illegal offloading a semblance of legitimacy, the accused prepared a fraudulent panchnama (site memo) at the Food Department office, naming co-conspirators as independent witnesses.

The Mahasamund police have registered a case under multiple stringent sections of the Indian Penal Code, including criminal breach of trust, conspiracy, forgery, black marketing, and misappropriation of government property. The police are now planning a joint interrogation, confronting the freshly arrested owners of Thakur Petrochemicals with the already detained mastermind Ajay Yadav, manager Nikhil Vaishnav, and other intermediaries to unearth the full extent of the institutional fraud.

Rs 1.5-Crore LPG Heist in Mahasamund: 90 MT Gas Stolen After Seizure; FIR Lodged

Police have booked the owner and director of Thakur Petrochemicals for allegedly siphoning off 90 metric tonnes of seized LPG gas and selling it illegally.

In a massive scandal involving the misappropriation of government-seized property, the Mahasamund police have unearthed an LPG theft racket worth an estimated Rs 1.5 crore. The case involves the owner and director of Thakur Petrochemicals, who allegedly emptied six seized gas capsules—originally handed over to them for safe custody—and sold the fuel in the black market through domestic and commercial cylinders.

The fraud came to light after the accused attempted to mislead the district administration by claiming the gas had "leaked" from the containers. However, a technical investigation revealed a calculated heist, leading to the registration of an FIR at Singhoda police station.

Seizure of 90 MT LPG

The matter dates back to December 2025, when Singhoda police intercepted six LPG gas capsules. Due to a lack of valid legal documentation, the vehicles, carrying a combined load of 90 metric tonnes of LPG, were impounded. Concerned about the safety hazard of parked gas tankers inside the police station premises, the police moved the District Collector to shift the vehicles to a secure facility.

Following the Collector’s directive, the Food Department contacted Santosh Singh Thakur, owner of Thakur Petrochemicals. On March 30, 2026, the six tankers were officially handed over to the company for safekeeping at its plant in Urla, Abhanpur, located roughly 200 kilometers from the police station.

Elaborate Siphoning Operation

Sources familiar with the matter said the company management exploited a critical lapse: the tankers were not weighed at the time of handover. Taking advantage of this, Santosh Singh Thakur and Director Sakin Thakur allegedly moved the trucks to their plant but delayed official weighing for over a week.

Between April 6 and April 8, while the tankers were parked near the plant, the gas was systematically transferred into the company’s bullet tanks. "When their storage reached capacity, they reportedly filled the remaining gas into private tankers and cylinders, selling it to various agencies in Raipur using 'kaccha' (unofficial) bills," an official involved in the probe confirmed.

Technical Experts Debunk Leakage

To cover their tracks, the accused reported to the administration that the LPG had leaked out. However, the police roped in national-level experts to verify the claim. The investigation concluded that it is physically impossible for 20 tonnes of gas to leak from a single capsule over three months without causing a major explosion or fire. The experts noted that the capsules were structurally sound, pointing directly to manual extraction.

Financial Discrepancies Surface

The paper trail further nailed the suspects. A three-day audit of company records revealed that in April, Thakur Petrochemicals officially purchased only 47 tonnes of LPG but recorded sales of 107 tonnes. "The math didn't add up. They were selling nearly 60 tonnes of gas that never existed on their purchase registers," said a senior police officer. Investigators also found that the "unofficial" registers for April had been destroyed or hidden to vanish the evidence of illegal transactions.

Raids and Arrests

Mahasamund police have since conducted raids at the facility, seizing seven LPG tankers, four large bullet tanks, 100 cylinders, and digital evidence including DVRs and computers. While the main accused, Santosh Singh Thakur and the director, remain at large, the police have arrested one staff member, identified as Nikhil Vaishnav (41).

Teams have been dispatched to track down the fleeing management. The police are also looking into the role of the agencies that purchased the stolen gas without valid invoices.

Navratri Tragedy: Ayushi's Husband Survived the Ropeway Crash — But Could Not Carry Her Coffin

They went together to seek a goddess's blessings. Only one came home. And he was too broken — in body and soul — to carry her.

A Morning Prayer That Became a Funeral

The first Sunday of Chaitra Navratri 2026 was supposed to be auspicious.

Ayushi Satkar, 28, from Raipur, had come with her husband Rishabh Dhavre, 29, and a teenage relative to the Khallari Mata Temple in Mahasamund — a hilltop shrine sitting nearly 1,100 feet above the plains of Chhattisgarh. Thousands of devotees make this journey every Navratri, climbing 900 steps or riding the ropeway that carries pilgrims up and down the steep hillside.

At around 10 AM on March 22, as Ayushi's trolley descended the hillside carrying seven devotees, the main cable snapped. The trolley plunged nearly 200 to 300 feet.

Ayushi died on the spot. Her husband survived — injured, hospitalised, devastated.

And when it came time to carry her coffin home, Rishabh could not. His body, broken in the same fall that took his wife, would not allow it.

The Accident: What We Know

The Khallari Mata ropeway had undergone maintenance between March 16 and 18, just days before the accident, resuming operations right before the Navratri rush began. On the morning of the tragedy, the temple was packed — as it always is on the first Sunday of the nine-day festival.

The trolley was mid-descent when the cable gave way without warning. Passengers had no time to brace. The trolley overturned on impact, throwing devotees across the hillside.

Among the injured were Rishabh Dhavre, teenage relative Chhayansh Dhavre (16), Govind Swami (47), Namita Swami (48), and two children — Kushmita Swami (10) and Manshvi Godaria (12). Four of the critically injured were referred to hospitals in Raipur. At least one person remained in critical condition as of Sunday evening.

The ropeway service was immediately suspended and remains shut pending a full technical inspection.

The Grief Behind the Headline

Every news story about infrastructure failure carries a number — one dead, seven injured, seventeen wounded. But behind this particular number is a 29-year-old man who went to a temple with his wife on a festival morning and returned without her. A man whose injuries were severe enough that he could not perform the most final, most human act of grief — carrying her to her burial.

This is what negligence, if proven, actually looks like. Not just a snapped cable. A husband standing at a funeral, unable to lift the weight of what he lost.

The Larger Safety Failure

This is not the first time a ropeway has failed at a Chhattisgarh pilgrimage site. A similar accident occurred last year at a ropeway near the Bamleshwari Devi hill shrine in Rajnandgaon district. That incident injured a local politician. It made news for two days. Then everyone moved on.

Nothing changed. And so the cable snapped again.

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai expressed grief and ordered a high-level inquiry. He stated that those found responsible would not be spared. These are the right words. But India has heard them before — at Morbi, at Vaishno Devi, at every pilgrimage site where infrastructure failed during peak festival load and families were destroyed.

The pattern is familiar: maintenance done in a hurry before a festival, capacity exceeded under religious rush, cable or structure failing under load it was never properly certified to carry.

What Must Change

Ropeway safety at Indian pilgrimage sites cannot remain a post-tragedy conversation. These systems carry elderly devotees, children, and families who physically cannot manage the alternative — in Khallari's case, 900 steps. They are not optional infrastructure. For many, they are the only way to reach their god.

Every ropeway at every major pilgrimage site in India must have independent third-party safety certification before each festival season — not just operator-reported maintenance. Load limits must be enforced. Inspections must be unannounced.

Ayushi Satkar went to Khallari Mata to pray. The goddess did not fail her. The system did.