Sources in the Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the murder of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh have said they got vital clues on the hitmen from the logistical support they received while they were in Bengaluru. However, so far, the police have remained circumspect on these “vital clues”, claiming that making them public would hamper their investigation.
- 7.65 mm country-made pistol used
- Image of the motorcycle used caught
- Physical description of the killers
- Leads on local logistical support
- Professional rivalry ruled out
According to sources, the SIT is probing three key pieces of the puzzle: the people who gave logistical help to the killers, the identity of the killers, and the source of the weapon. “We have vital clues on the identity and logistics part,” reiterated a senior officer who is part of the investigation. Earlier, Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy too had said the SIT had “definite clues”.
- Identity of the killers
- Motive behind the murder
- Source of the murder weapon
However, to a specific question on the progress made so far, SIT chief B.K. Singh said at a press conference on Saturday, “So far, based on the evidence at hand, we have only ruled out the work-related angle, every other angle, including a personal one, is still open to investigation.”
The suspects were professionals and used a 7.65-mm country-made pistol, he said. Mr. Singh reiterated that despite media reports there was no FSL report comparing the bullets found in Gauri’s case with those used to kill scholar M.M. Kalburgi.
Another senior officer who is part of the SIT, said, “While the cartridges from the Kalburgi case have now arrived, we haven’t yet requested for the cartridges from Govind Pansare and Narendra Dabholkar cases.”
Tracing the motorcycle
Based on CCTV camera footage gathered, investigators are now trying to trace the motorcycle used by the suspects in the Gauri Lankesh murder case. “We have identified the make of the bike, and are in the process of verifying it. There are too many bikes of that make and we cannot at this moment reveal which bike it was,” SIT chief B.K. Singh said.
The SIT has appealed to the public to provide them with any information they have on the suspects or the two-wheeler used. “The identity of those giving such information will be kept confidential. People giving information leading to the arrest of the accused will be rewarded, as already announced by the government, he added.
Video clips released
The police on Saturday released two clips of a suspect on a motorcycle scouting the neighbourhood Gauri Lankesh lived in four hours before she was killed around 8 p.m. on September 5. One clip — nine seconds long — shows a helmet-clad man on a motorcycle taking a turn into a dirt road close to her house at 4.03 p.m. The second clip — four seconds long — shows the suspect riding by near Gauri’s house at 4.06 p.m.
