Poll Rivalry Ends in Killing in Mungeli; Five Accused Arrested
What began as a defeat in a village panchayat election has led to a murder case in Mungeli district. Police have arrested five people, including the alleged main conspirator, for the killing of Tulsi Sahu, a resident of Pendri village under Sargaon police station limits.
The background lies in the 2025 sarpanch election, where Dhaniram Sahu lost by a margin of 8-9 votes. Jhulluram Verma won the seat. Tulsi Sahu had been present as a counting agent during the count. Police say Dhaniram blamed Tulsi for the loss, believing that votes had been deliberately rejected, and began to nurse a grudge.
The murder was allegedly planned for a fee of Rs 1.20 lakh, with Rs 70,000 handed over as an advance. The conspiracy included abduction, killing and destruction of evidence.
On October 25, 2026, Tulsi set out from home on his motorcycle, intending to visit his sister in Sargaon and then travel to Belgahna. He did not arrive at either place, and his phone stopped responding. The motorcycle was later located near Jai Bholenath Rice Mill in Pendri village. During the search, his body was found in muddy ground and bushes beside a road near Ganesh Minerals. Post-mortem findings and investigation indicated strangulation and that his legs had been tied with electric wire.
Police say Tulsi was forced into a car, taken to a pump house in Pendri, and pressured to admit to election irregularities. An affidavit was written on Rs 100 stamp paper and a mobile video was made of the act. He was then strangled with a gamcha inside the pump house.
Afterwards, the body was taken on a motorcycle and dumped in the bushes. The accused allegedly hid his shoes, jacket and mobile charger, discarded the mobile phone elsewhere and tried to burn the gamcha to erase traces of the crime.
The investigation was carried out by a combined team of Sargaon police and the cyber cell, guided by SSP Bhojram Patel under the directions of Bilaspur Range IG Ramgopal Garg. Along with the arrested accused, Dhaniram Sahu (40), Bhuwan Sahu (28), Omnarayan Rajput (25), Surendra Joshi (25) and Tikaram Sahu (53), police have seized the car and motorcycle, electric wire pieces, the victim's shoes and jacket, mobile phones, stamp paper, the video and Rs 10,000 in cash. All accused have been sent to judicial remand. Police are continuing their search for other persons involved, and questions remain about the roles of others in the plot.