From Killer’s Eyes & Nose, SIT Looks for Leads in Gauri’s Murder

Police are trying to make profile of the attacker using the eyes and nose seen in CCTV footage

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the murder of activist and journalist Gauri Lankesh in Bengaluru is still combing through evidence, desperate for a breakthrough. During the past two weeks, teams have managed to identify some features of the attacker after zeroing in on him on the extensive CCTV footage. However, no actionable evidence has come forth in the investigation.

More than three weeks after she was killed, The Quint gives you the latest details of the SIT investigation so far.

'We Have Eyes and Nose, Not a Full Sketch'

An enhancement of the CCTV footage has helped the SIT get details of the attacker’s face. However, as the killer was wearing a helmet, only the features of his nose and eyes are available, and that too from a profile.

Hopes are now pinned on the fact that human faces are proportionate. “Based on these factors, we can figure out the size of the forehead and other parts of the face. So, we will be trying to create some possible facial structures based on the proportion of the eyes and nose,” said an SIT source.

However, these sketches will not be final. Instead, the SIT plans to take these sketches to the neighbours and others to see if they have seen any person bearing a similar profile. “This a wild goose chase, but we are not leaving any stoned unturned,” the source added.

Recce Video Is More Crucial

The video of the shooting itself is only a couple of seconds long. However, the SIT has now locked in on another video of a man suspected of conducting a recce. A comparison of these videos shows that the man who came for the recce was different from the attacker; the killer being shorter.

In the recce video, the suspect had come on a red Bajaj Pulsar motorcycle. “So, we have started looking at red Pulsars in the state, and there are 2.6 lakh of such vehicles in the state and over a lakh in Bengaluru alone. And, we are probing them,” the source said.

However, cops admit that they have not been able to track the man suspected to have done the recce because of the blackspots in the CCTV network.

Partial Registration Number Seen in Footage

The CCTV footage of the recce has shown a portion of the registration number of the motorcycle - KA 02, which belongs to Bengaluru West RTO. Cops are looking for red Pulsars in this RTO limits. “But, nothing has come out of it so far and we don’t believe that in such a planned attack, they would use a real number,” the source added.

Over 200 TB of Data, Tech Companies Looped In

CCTV footage recorded by the Bengaluru Traffic Police averages around 200 TB of data per day, said a senior officer, and the teams have collected footage from traffic police over several days. “As the task is heavy, we have also taken the help of two tech companies whose technologies comb through these CCTV footage,” the officer added.

Bullet yet to Be Matched

Broadening the scope of the probe, the police has asked the CBI and Maharashtra Police for the cartridges of the Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare. The SIT wants to compare these cartridges with those recovered from Lankesh’s house.

The SIT said they still can’t categorically say the same weapon was used in the murder of rationalist MM Kalburgi and Lankesh. “As we have said earlier, the process of getting the cartridges in Kalburgi case from the CBI will take time and only if these cartridges are compared physically, we can conclude the same weapon was used,” the officer added.

Team Goes to Maharashtra

A team of the SIT went to Maharashtra as part of the investigation. The teams were sent to study past cases where rationalists were killed, and they were also tasked with probing some organisations of interest. However, these organisations were not probed directly, only information on these organisations was probed, SIT sources added.

Investigation Into Gauri's Finances

A detailed probe into the finances of Lankesh was carried out by the SIT. Although no crucial evidence emerged from this probe, it has given an insight into her life. “She was not doing well financially and she certainly was in a financial crisis. But, we have not found a connection between this and the murder so far,” SIT sources said.

Protests Planned

As the teams are struggling to get evidence in the case, organisations are planning a protest against the slow pace of investigation. The police, however, insist that they are not hurrying the case and a scientific investigation is being carried out.