This story is from October 7, 2017

Now, SIT turns focus on gangs of Vijayapura

Now, SIT turns focus on gangs of Vijayapura
Gauri Lankesh
BENGALURU: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the killing of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh has almost ruled out the involvement of Naxal, personal and professional angles in the assassination. It is now focusing on the possible role of right-wingers and gangsters from Vijayapura district, a senior investigator said.Sleuths are scanning Karnataka-Maharashtra border areas like Vijayapura, Belagavi, Khanapur, Solapur, Kolhapur, Satara and Sangli.

According to the officer, a team of senior SIT officials has visited Vijayapura in North Karnataka more than thrice in the past one month. Vijayapura district has been witnessing bloody gang wars for decades.These gangs are said to originate in villages on the banks of Bheema river and are notorious for revenge murders.
The senior SIT officer confirmed they had almost closed investigation into possible Naxal, personal and professional angles in the murder. “Ruling out these options means that we are left with the last potential reason --rightwing ideological motivation.The killers may not be the same as the ones who assassinated Govind Pansare, Narendra Dabholkar and MM Kalburgi but the weapon and the ideology is the same," he said.
“We have a strong clue on the illegal supply of arms from Vijayapura. We raided the houses of more than five suspects in Vijayapura, including criminals, but didn't come across any significant finding,“ an SIT source said.
Three teams of SIT sleuths are in constant touch with CBI and Maharashtra police investigating the killings of Pansare and Dabholkar. “CBI and Mumbai SIT teams have submitted preliminary reports to the government, saying they suspect the hands of right-wingers," sources said.
“Till now, only two facts have been established. The assailants had come on a red Bajaj Pulsar and the weapon is a 7.65mm country-made pistol, and there is a lot of similarity between the weapons used in the Kalburgi and Gauri cases,“ sources said.
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