A day after the 21-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) took over the probe into the killing of journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh, a group of investigators visited the scene of crime and also Gauri’s office on Thursday.
The 15-member group, including Inspector-General of Police B.K Singh, who is heading the SIT, and Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) M.N. Anucheth, visited Gauri’s house at Rajarajeshwarinagar to take a look at the crime scene, and later visited her office at Gandhi Bazaar.
A team of FSL officials armed with metal detectors scanned the crime scene for fragments of ammunition that may have not been spotted during the initial sweeps. Four cartridges have been recovered so far.
No. of assailants
It is still unclear as to how many assailants were involved in the crime. The police are still enhancing footage from two of the four CCTV cameras Gauri had installed. The only clear grab shows a man clad in a jacket and wearing a helmet shooting four times at her.
“The accused had fired at a close range with a country-made pistol with 7.65 mm cartridge,” said an officer.
“We are using digital image enhancing software to get a clear view of the assailant,” a senior police officer said, and admitted that though they had some leads, they were yet to get a breakthrough in their investigation.
“We are also analysing footage from 500 CCTV cameras installed all the way from Gauri’s office at Gandhi Bazaar to her house at R.R. Nagar to see if her assailants were following her,” he added.
Mr. Singh along with senior police officers held two rounds of meeting with the team members to discuss the progress of the investigation.
Information sought from public
The SIT officials have requested members of the public to share any information about the assailants or the crime on 9480800202 or email at sit.glankesh@ksp.gov.in.
‘There was no disruption in power supply’
With news reports claiming that there was no power supply at Ideal Homes Layout in Rajarajeshwarinagar when assailants shot dead Gauri on September 5, Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) officials have inspected the neighbourhood.
Energy Minister D.K. Shivakumar told presspersons here on Thursday the Bescom squad found that power supply was normal.
“Even houses on the same lane had power supply and the street lights were on. Power supply to Gauri Lankesh’s house was not disrupted; only the lights in her house had not been switched on,” he said.