SIT arrests ninth suspect in Gauri Lankesh murder

Known for her strong anti-Hindutva stand, Gauri Lankesh was shot dead in front of her Rajarajeshwari Nagar residence in Bengaluru on September 5, 2017.

Bengaluru: The Special Investigation Team (SIT), investigating the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh, arrested two more suspects in connection with the case. The suspects - Amit Raghavendra Baddi and Ganesh Miski - were produced before a metropolitan court which sent the duo to SIT custody until August 6 for further investigation.

Both residents of Hubballi, Raghavendra and Miski were arrested on Sunday, special investigating officer MN Anucheth told PTI.

However, some police sources said Baddi and Miski had helped in recceing the area before Lankesh was shot dead on September 5 last year.

Baddi was said to be a goldsmith by profession, while Miski was into incense stick manufacturing business.

Nine suspects have been arrested in the case so far. The seventh suspect in the killing was arrested last week. Identified as Mohan Nayak, 50, he was nabbed from Dakshin Kannada district of Karnataka.

The sixth person - Parashuram Waghmare, 26 - was arrested from Sindhagi in Vijaypura district of the state. He was held in June. Waghmare was said to have links with rightwing groups.

The SIT previously arrested five people - K T 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. Naveen Kumar, who had founded the Hindu Yuva Sena, was the first to be caught in Bengaluru while attempting to sell ammunition.

The other four were arrested for planning to kill Kannada writer K S Bhagawan, also known for his anti-Hindutva stand. It was while probing this case that the police suspected their role in Lankesh's killing.

Gauri, known for her strong anti-Hindutva stand, was shot dead in front of her Rajarajeshwari Nagar residence in Bengaluru on September 5, 2017, triggering a nationwide outrage.