Gauri Lankesh murder: Gun runners under lens

Bengaluru: It is more than 45 days after noted journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh was assassinated near her residence in Bengaluru, but the Special Investigation Team (SIT) continues to be desperately looking for a breakthrough.

After its release of the sketches of probable assassins drew a blank, the SIT now hopes that questioning gun suppliers in the grey market, especially in the Karnataka-Maharashtra border, could provide them a crucial lead.

With the gun culture mushrooming in the Vijayapura, Bidar, Belagavi and Kalaburagi districts and last week’s recovery of 20 country-made pistols with 49 rounds from 12 people in Vijayapura district alone, the SIT has shifted its focus to these areas.

They feel keeping tabs on gun suppliers, agents and clients of bordering districts could provide vital clues. After the illegal gun racket came to light, the SIT officials had gone to Vijayapura and brought two of those involved in the grey market gun trade to Bengaluru for questioning.

The SIT is also making an attempt to reach the main gun suppliers from Madhya Pradesh.

“There is a suspicion that the pistol used to kill Ms Lankesh was brought from Vijayapura. The district is known as a hub of gun market and as it is easily accessible from Maharashtra. The SIT is questioning gun suppliers, agents and buyers there,” a SIT source said.

He also added that the main Madhya Pradesh based supplier, identified as Bachan Singh Sardar by the Vijayapura district police, could cough up information about his clients, which  may include the killers of Lankesh. But, he is yet to be arrested.

Vijayapura Superintendent of Police Kuldeep Kumar R. Jain told Deccan Chronicle, “We have got adequate information about Sardar from his clients and agents and he will soon be nabbed.” 

During the investigation it was revealed that the country-made pistols were brought to Vijayapura from Dhar district in Madhya Pradesh via Maharashtra, he added.

The gun culture in the Vijayapura district is booming considering the increase in demand and easy availability of these weapons at cheap rates. Every other person wants to have a pistol, which can be bought starting from Rs 10,000, to intimidate people, a police source said.