Gauri Lankesh murder: Suspect got bullets from Uttar Pradesh

BENGALURU: The gunrunner, who is being interrogated for his alleged links with the killing of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh, has disclosed that he had sourced the live bullets from Uttar Pradesh.
Naveen Kumar alias Hotte Manja, the right-wing activist from Maddur in Karnataka's Mandya district who is now in the custody of the special investigation team (SIT), was arrested from a KSRTC bus stand on February 18. Fifteen live bullets were recovered from him. His striking resemblance to the CCTV footage of the biker conducting a recce near Gauri's house on the day she was killed and two days before landed him in SIT custody.

"He said a man from a neighbouring state promised him to get bullets from Uttar Pradesh for 1,000 each. According to his confession, Naveen hatched a conspiracy to kill a Mysuru-based rationalist. We have collected enough material evidence to prove it in court. Naveen claims that it's his first mission, but we are not convinced. It's not an easy job for a first-timer to contact professional arms dealers and buy live bullets. Naveen is no novice and this has made us suspect his role in the Gauri case," SIT sources said.

On the alleged target practice camp that Naveen is said to have organised for four people in Kollegal forests, sources said they needed more time to comment on it. "Naveen claims that he was only visiting a relative's farmhouse in Kollegal. We are carrying out investigations at the forests and farmhouse," another officer said.