Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Sep 30: Bringing a new dimension to Gauri Lankesh murder case, the suspects have alleged that they were bribed and threatened by Karnataka Special Investigation Team (SIT) to accept that they have gunned down the journalist.
One of the alleged shooters Parashuram Waghmare said that he was offered Rs 25 lakh by SIT to accept the crime, while being taken to court. Meanwhile, second suspect, Manohar Edave claimed that he was forced to confess as SIT threatened to implicate his family and friends. He denied any involvement in the murder.
The sudden u-turn by the suspects has observers questioning their motive as earlier the duo while making numerous trips to courts in the four-month period had never spoken a word.
Gauri Lankesh
A top SIT officer who was questioned by electronic media asserted that Waghmare and Edave are among 12 people arrested in connection with the crime until now and refused to comment on bribe claims.
Just last month, the Anti-Terrorism Squad of the Maharashtra police had arrested three members of a suspected right-wing Hindutva outfit and seized a huge cache of weapons and explosives. Sudhanwa Gondhalekar one of the arrested confessed he played a role in murder of Lankesh and rationalists Narendra Dabholkar and MM Kalburgi.
Two weeks ago, police claimed to have found a motorcycle used in Gauri Lankesh's murder that took place in her residence in Bengaluru's Rajarajeshwari Nagar on September 5, 2017.