SIT arrests 2 more suspects

Two more suspects have been arrested in the Gauri Lankesh murder case, according to the sources.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Karnataka Police arrested Amit Baddi and Ganesh Miskin from Hubballi on Sunday, sources in the SIT informed.

The accused were produced before a court in Bengaluru on Monday and taken into police custody until August 6.

With these arrests, the total number of accused in custody has risen to nine.

On 18 July, the SIT arrested suspect number seven. “A person identified as Mohan Nayak, 50, was arrested from Dakshin Kannada district of Karnataka,” SIT investigating officer said. He was produced in the Third Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court which sent him to six-day police custody, he added.

The sixth person arrested by the SIT was 26-year-old Parashuram Waghmare from Sindhagi in Vijaypura district of the state. He was held in June. Waghmare was said to have links with right-wing groups.

The SIT previously arrested five people: KT Naveen Kumar alias Hotte Manja, Amol Kale, Manohar Edve, Sujeeth Kumar alias Praveen and Amit Degvekar. Naveen Kumar is from Maddur in Mandya district of Karnataka, while Kale and Degvekar are from Maharashtra. Edve and Sujeeth Kumar are also from Karnataka.

Karnataka deputy chief minister who holds the Home portfolio G Parameshwara has said the SIT was confident of cracking the murder of Gauri Lankesh. He said the investigation has reached its final stages but refused to reveal any details at this juncture which he thinks will hamper the investigation. The SIT source also confirmed they would be in the last leg of the investigation towards cracking the case.  On the condition of anonymity an officer privy to the investigation said one of the two suspects is believed to be the key to finding the weapon used to kill Gauri and  professor MM Kalburgi.