The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the murder of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh has made the 15th arrest, that of Sharad Kalaskar, 29, who hails from Nallasopara in Maharashtra. A city court remanded him into SIT custody for 20 days on Thursday.
With this arrest, the SIT now has the custody of Sudhanva Gondhalekar, Srikanth Pangarkar and Sharad Kalaskar. All three were arrested by the Maharashtra ATS in August.
The CBI had arrested Kalaskar and later claimed that he was one of the people who shot Narendra Dabholkar.
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Kalaskar is suspected to have played a key role in the murder of not only Gauri but also M.M. Kalburgi, said sources.
A bike that he had parked with his friend is believed to have been used by Ganesh Miskin and Parashuram Waghmore during the murder of Gauri Lankesh. Investigations have now revealed that Kalaskar was based in Belagavi during 2015–2017 and had also set up a lathe unit where he allegedly manufactured pistols.
Senior SIT officials said their probe indicates that he manufactured five pistols, which were tested in Bharat Kurne's farm, as the gang wanted to use one of them to kill Gauri Lankesh. However, none of them were functioning, forcing the gang to rely on the pistol used to assassinate Govind Pansare and Kalburgi.
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“Sharad Kalaskar is a key accused in the Dr. Dabholkar murder, indicating he was part of the gang from its inception. He was based in Belagavi during the murders of Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh. Bharat Kurne helped him with a rented accommodation. Though he may not be a part of the hit team that killed Gauri Lankesh, he is definitely a key player in the conspiracy,” a senior official said.