Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Jun 9: The special investigation team involved with probing veteran journalist, Gauri Lankesh's murder, says that K T Naveen Kumar alias Hotte Manja, who has been arrested in the case, had made efforts to project as if he is not at all connected with this murder.

They say that on the day Gauri was killed, Hotte Manja had hurriedly reached his house located near Maddur, about 70 km away from here, and taken his wife to an Ashram in Mangaluru from there. The team feels that this was done to show that on the day of murder, both were not in station.

Naveen, the investigating team claims, was involved with Hindu Yuva Sene and Sanatan Sanstha. But the Sanstha had in the past, insisted that none of its activists were behind this murder. The suspicion of Hotte Manja's involvement with the murder has been strengthened by the statement of his wife, Roopa. Roopa had said that her husband had told her the previous day that he was going to Hubballi to take part in a religious programme there but returned the next day and immediately planned trip to Mangaluru, claiming that he lost his bag in the train and he was not feeling well. She said they reached Mangaluru at 9.45 pm by bus and from the bus stand, a car of Sanatan Sanstha picked them and took them to the Ashram. But she said she came to know about Gauri's murder when watching TV the next morning.

The special investigating team has pointed out in the chargesheet that the statement made by C S Roopa, a government servant and wife of the accused, confirms that her husband had contact with Hindu organizations including Sanatan Sanstha. On the basis of this, the team has concluded that K T Naveen Kumar alias Hotte Manja was involved with this murder.

The team is frantically searching for Nihal alias Dada, who it suspects, had played a stellar role in the said murder.