Gauri Lankesh murder: SIT quizzes uncooperative' Indrajit Lankesh

Bengaluru: The Special Investigation Team (SIT), which has intensified its probe into the murder of journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh at her residence in Rajarajeshwari Nagar on September 5, suspects that it was a lone wolf attack and the bike borne killer may not have followed Gauri from her office in Gandhi Bazaar but from midway.

The killer was well aware of the surroundings, but wanted to make sure if there was anyone else at Gauri’s house as her mother stayed with her occasionally. A bike-borne man wearing a helmet first came near Gauri’s house at 3.30 pm on September 5, glanced at the main door and sped away, one of the sources familiar with the developments told Deccan Chronicle.

The next time the bike-borne assassin made an entry was at around 7.15 pm, to confirm if there was anyone else at the house. “It can be interpreted by looking at the CCTV footage that he desperately wanted to confirm if there was anyone else at the house. When he saw no lights switched on at the house during his second visit, he may have decided to proceed with his plan,” the source said, adding that the killer appears to be 32-35 years old. The investigators suspect that the killer may not have followed Gauri’s car from her office in Gandhi Bazaar, but waited for her somewhere midway. “That is because the killer would not have had enough time to reach Gandhi Bazaar from Rajarajeshwari Nagar after his second visit to the house at 7.15 pm and the actual shooting at 8 pm when he fired four bullets at her, three of which entered her body, while another pierced the wall,” they said. 

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the state government to investigate the killing of journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh on Wednesday is learnt to have questioned her brother Indrajit Lankesh, who in 2005 had threatened her with a gun over a family dispute.

Sources said that Indrajit did not cooperate with the investigators and his replies to all their questions were vague. 

“We are examining all the angles. Indrajit was summoned for a formal questioning and to know from him if he could share any information which could help us in the investigation. His cooperation was not satisfactory,” the source said.

It may be noted that not everything was right between Gauri and Indrajit. The differences between the two started in 2005 over the ownership of the tabloid ‘Lankesh Patrike’, which was started by their father P. Lankesh. 

Gauri reportedly had filed a complaint stating Indrajit had threatened her at gunpoint. Later, Indrajit took over the tabloid and ran it, while Gauri started a new tabloid ‘Gauri Lankesh Patrike’. 

Indrajit maintained that the relationship between him and Gauri started to return to normal, the source said. 

He, however, suspected that Naxals, right wingers and right wing sympathisers are raking up the decade old issue and pointing fingers at the family feud behind Gauri’s killing, the source said.