Bengaluru: In a sensational revelation, a person nabbed on the suspicion of having ferried the killer of journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh is said to have confessed to having arranged a target practice camp for four persons at the behest of a Mangalurean.
The arrested Naveen Kumar T (38), a resident of Maddur, in his confession made to the SIT says that a friend of his had been asked to arrange a target practice camp for the four persons, believed to have affiliation with right wing organizations based outside Karnataka in July 2017 for a ‘big mission’.
According to sources the men had arrived in a Maruti Omini and after meeting Naveen at his residence they travelled to a forested area between Kollegal and Chamarajanagar where the practice session was held till the third week of August. The men used a country-made pistol was used to practice firing long and short range shots from different angles.
Initial suspicions that the killers had resided near the R. R nagar has been ruled out, said the souce who added that they used two-wheelers arranged by Naveen to roam around the city.
“Naveen also showed them Gauri’s office and residence. He and others took care to select roads that had few or no CCTV cameras,” said a SIT source
The SIT, sources say had deputed four teams, each comprising of 15 persons to arrest the four persons from a wedding venue at Udupi on February 25. While three of the teams were posted at the venue the fourth team was maintaining vigil at the railway station. However, the four persons did not turn up at the marriage indicating that they had a whiff of the SIT plans, added the source.
Further it is gathered that Naveen had earlier been enquiring about a Mysuru-based rationalist, who perhaps was the first target of the gang, months before the killing of Gauri Lankesh. A man, deputed to gather details about the rationalist informed Naveen learnt about the tight police security at the rationalist’s house whereafter he asked the boy not to visit there, said the source
