The Special Investigation Team probing the Gauri Lankesh murder case has taken into custody 37-year-old K.T. Naveen Kumar to ascertain his possible role in the journalist-activist’s killing.
A senior officer described him as a “strong suspect” and said his call records indicate his affiliation to a radical Hindutva group.
Naveen, from Maddur in Mandya district, was arrested by the Central Crime Branch sleuths on February 18 from the Kempegowda Bus stand here.
He had with him over 15 rounds of cartridges of .32 calibre. He was taken into custody for questioning and later a case was filed with the jurisdictional Upparpet police under Sections 3 and 25 of the Arms Act.
The CCB, which questioned Naveen, found that he had links with some right-wing fringe groups in other parts of the country. SIT is now on the lookout for at least four activists outside the State.
On Friday, SIT officials took him into custody for seven days to ascertain his possible role in the Gauri murder case.
The cartridges found in Naveen’s possession and the cartridges that killed Gauri (of 7.65 calibre) are interchangeable in many weapons, according to ballistic experts.
Gauri Lankesh was shot dead outside her residence here on September 5 last year.
