Bengaluru: News that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the murder of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh is facing a severe financial crunch, forcing them to drop further investigation, has shocked the state police force. They are, however, yet to react the developments.
According to the state police sources, the SIT officers had spent Rs 98 lakhs on the investigation from their own pockets till now. “But the department reimbursed only Rs 14.08 lakhs, creating problems for the officers. So, they have decided to drop further investigation,” said sources privy to the developments.
“The SIT officials sent all the bills. But most of the bills are unpaid till now. This forced the authorities to stop the investigation,” sources added.
“In the first month of the investigation (October 2017), we spent around Rs 15 lakhs to visit every nook and corner of the state to trace the leads. For the forensic gait analysis, a police officer paid Rs 3 lakhs to the Directorate of Forensic Sciences in Gujarat. This amount has also not been reimbursed,” added sources.
The state police is expected to issue a statement in this regard on Monday.
