Gauri case: Killers picked up laddu skills

Gauri case: Killers picked up laddu skills
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At camps organised in the forest areas of Karnataka and Maharashtra, Amol Kale and his lieutenants taught recruits how to make bombs, withstand police torture and how to confuse investigators, claims SIT in charge-sheet

When Moodabidri town in Dakshina Kannada district was on the boil after the murder of Bajrang Dal activist Prashant Poojary in October 2015, Amol Kale and the other men accused of Gauri Lankesh’s murder were engaged in an elaborate bomb making and firearm training session in the same region. The charge-sheet submitted by the Special Investigation Team says Vasudeo Suryavanshi (29) who attended the camp, told them that they were trained for three days in handling explosives and detonators, did target practice and learnt martial arts.

Three-day laddu-making camp

However, Poojary’s murder and the ensuing tension did not deter the seven-member group. On day one, the group was trained in making laddus (code word for bomb) and using them. Amit Degwekar, code-named Pradeep Mahajan, is also suspected to be present at this session. The recruits were given training in making crude bombs from firecrackers and gun powder on the second day along with target practice sessions using air guns. The third and final day was when they were trained in making pipe bombs using gelatin. For firearm sessions, actual guns were not used at all sessions except for those that were held close to forest areas like in Belagavi and an isolated farmhouse given to the group for training in the outskirts of Jalna.

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Shock therapy for torture

Former Shiv Sena corporator from Jalna, Shrikant Pangarkar (40), has revealed that they were made to undergo electric shock therapy sessions to withstand police torture if they were caught. They were also trained in how to dodge and mislead enforcement agencies during interrogation. It has also been pointed out that the recruits were also given basic knowledge on Islamic rituals. Also on the menu was an interactive session with Amol Kale where recruits learnt about their religion and objectives.

Maharashtra, Gujarat and Karnataka were training fields

The SIT probe states that multiple training sessions lasting three to four days where conducted at safe houses and forest areas in Maharashtra and Karnataka. Suryavamshi, one of the accused in the Gauri murder case, told them about an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) training session in Ahmedabad which was held under the supervision of Amit Degwekar, another accused. ‘Guruji,’ a 60-year-old Gujarati-speaking man, was also involved in this camp and in other such sessions that were held in Kolhapur and Pune since 2014. Degwekar is claimed to have brought remote controlled explosives at the Ahmedabad session.

Amol Kale’s arrest, his diary

The group had decided to lie low and suspend all their training activities after Karnataka SIT arrested Amol Kale from Davanagere in May 2018. Kale maintained a diary at his residence in which he had the names of his key operatives. Suryavamshi alias Mechanic, allegedly told SIT that he dismantled the bike used in Narendra Dabholkar’s murder in a lake in Beed district. He also allegedly stole the black Hero Honda bike used in Gauri’s murder from Davanagere.

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