Man who shot Gauri Lankesh may be in Karnataka police net

BENGALURU: Karnataka police’s special investigation team (SIT) on Monday caught a Marathi-speaking man who is suspected to have pulled the trigger on journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh. SIT sources said the suspect was caught in Maharashtra but refused to divulge the location.

“We need to question him before making a comment,” a senior SIT officer told TOI when asked whether the investigation team had indeed caught Gauri’s killer.

Elaborating on the suspect picked up by cops in Maharashtra, an SIT source said, “One of our teams picked up the Marathi-speaking man in his late 30s. He is 5’1” tall, and weighs about 75-80kg. No pistol or firearms were found on him.”

The Forensic Sciences Laboratory that had studied the CCTV footage of suspects conducting recce at Gauri’s residence in Bengaluru had opined that the bike-borne assailant was about 5’2” or 5’1” tall and weighed 70-80kg.

Based on CCTV footage and other details gathered during investigation, the SIT has sketches of four suspects, including that of Gauri’s killer.

The sketches were prepared based on the description provided by Anil Kumar of Srirangapatna, a friend of accused KT Naveen Kumar who has been chargesheeted for his role in providing logistics in the Gauri murder case.

The SIT had produced Anil Kumar before a local court and took his statement under Section 64 of the CrPC, which means the statement can be used as evidence.

According to the SIT chargesheet, Naveen confessed to plotting Gauri’s killing with Praveen alias Sujit Kumar from Shikaripura in Shivamogga district. Praveen allegedly sought Naveen’s help to eliminate rationalist K S Bhagawan, who was also on the conspirators’ target.