Gauri Lankesh murder: SIT submits 650-page chargesheet with 131 statements

The accused Naveen had told the cops during interrogation that he paid Rs 1000 for each bullet for the murder which was sourced from Uttar Pradesh.

The Special investigation team formed to probe journalist Gauri Lankesh's murder case on Wednesday submitted a 650-page charge sheet in which 131 statements have been mentioned. These statements also include those of the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) officers and accused KT Naveen and Praveen.

While Naveen was arrested in February, the Karnataka police team recently arrested four more people in connection with the murder.

The 37-year-old Naveen had told the cops during interrogation that he paid Rs 1000 for each bullet for the murder which was sourced from Uttar Pradesh. Kumar, who hails from Birur town in Chikkamagaluru district, was arrested on February 18 by the SIT of Karnataka Police after he was identified with the help of CCTV footage.

The preliminary findings of the Forensic Sciences Laboratory had suggested that Lankesh and noted Kannada scholar MM Kalburgi were possibly killed with the same weapon, a 7.65 mm country-made pistol. Kalburgi was gunned down by unknown assailants in August 2015 at his Dharwad residence. 

Lankesh was shot dead by unknown by assailants outside her residence in Bengaluru on September 5 last year. She was the editor of the Gauri Lankesh Patrike, a tabloid known for "anti-establishment" views.

The suspect wearing a black helmet, was captured by the two CCTV cameras facing the road - Gauri's house has two other cameras - first at 3.27 pm. He was seen wearing a white formal shirt with long sleeves and riding a motorcycle, in the footage. 

The footage showed the man arriving from the right side of the road, and making a U-turn about 10 feet from the gate. On his third visit, the suspect had a black sling bag in which he possibly carried the murder weapon, according to the investigators.

The sensational murder of the journalist had sparked outrage across the country and triggered several protests across the country and especially in prominent parts of Karnataka.