Bengaluru: The probe into Gauri Lankesh murder has revealed a larger plot to eliminate other intellectuals as well. Maharastra ATS recovered 16 country-made pistols from three accused in Maharastra that were procured after the murder of Gauri Lankesh. Most of these weapons were procured very recently, said sources. This is alarming as the intention of such large buying was to kill more intellectuals within a short time span.
The Maharastra ATS confiscated 16 pistols from Radha Vaibhav Rawat, Sudhanwa Gondholekar and Sharad Kalaskar. The SIT believes that two of the recovered pistols might have been used in killings of Narendra Dhabolkar, MM Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh. The weapons were sent to FSL in Gujarat to confirm this theory.
In February 2018, K T Naveen (37), a member of fringe group Hindu Yuva Sena, was arrested by the SIT. He was in the town for procuring pistols for the murder of Mysuru-based rationalist Prof K S Bhagawan. The forensic report said the gun recovered matched the evidence collected in Gauri and Kalburgi murders.
With the confiscation of 16 firearms, suspicions are raised at a more sinister agenda of the group. SIT believes that plans were afoot to carry out multiple associations simultaneously. According to sources, Amol Kale had revealed that they were trying to raise teams for executing multiple murders.
There are apprehensions that some gang members may be still active, even after the arrest of the leaders, to continue the associations.