Gauri Lankesh murder probe: One more in SIT custody

Bengaluru, Sep 8: The Special Investigation Team probing the killing of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh has taken into custody one more person in connection with the case.

Sources in the SIT said Sudhanwa Gondhalekar, who was arrested from Pune by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad in August in connection with the seizure of a huge cache of explosives, was brought here Friday on transit remand.

He was produced in a local court which remanded him in police custody for 14 days. With this, 14 suspects have been arrested in the case.

A native of Satara, Gondhalekar has confessed to his role in the Lankesh killing, SIT sources said.

The Anti-Terrorism Squad of Maharashtra police had arrested three members of a suspected right-wing Hindutva outfit, including Gondhalekar, in August and seized a huge quantity of explosives, including crude bombs.

The ATS had said they would be questioned about all the cases in which the involvement of right-wing extremists was suspected, including the Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare and (journalist) Gauri Lankesh killings.

Left leaning Lankesh, who was strongly opposed to Hindutva, was shot dead on September 5 last year by two motorcycle-borne assailants near her house here, triggering outrage.

PTI