Bengaluru: KT Naveen, one of the accused in Gauri Lankesh murder case, in his statement to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) claimed that he was in Mangaluru at the time of Gauri Lankesh’s murder, and only found out about the crime from the newspapers the following day. Investigators, however, are not buying his claims as they believe that this is merely a ploy to establish a fake alibi.
The investigators’ suspicions are based on the statement made by the wife of the accused, Roopa, who said that the day before the murder, Naveen had told her that he was going to Hubballi to take part in a religious programme. According to Roopa’s statement, Naveen returned the next day and immediately took her to Mangaluru, claiming that he had lost his bag in the train and that he had taken ill. The couple travelled in a bus and reached Mangaluru city by 9.45 pm, soon after which a car picked them up and took them to a Sanatan ashram.
Naveen, who was arrested on March 2 in connection with Lankesh’s murder, is reported to have hurriedly rushed to his home in Maddur, from where he picked up his wife and took her to Mangaluru. Investigators believe that Naveen alias Hotte Manja did this in a bid to throw suspicion off of himself.
Roopa, who is a government employee, stated that her husband had connections with the Sanatan Sanstha and that she often accompanied him to their events in Shivamogga and other places.
The Sanatan Sanstha and its affiliate Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) have repeatedly denied any involvement with Lankesh’s murder – even stating that KT Naveen had nothing to do with them – however, evidence and circumstances linking them to the crime seem to be mounting against them.
