SIT struggles for clues on Gauri murder; probe team shrinks to 50 from 200

Bengaluru: It’s close to 50 days since journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh was murdered and it appears that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case has lost all hope. Substantially, the team that had close to 200 members has now shrunk to 50.

SIT sources said that the officers, who were roped in to the SIT from various police stations and other police units from across the state to crack the high-profile case, have been asked to go back to their original postings.

“They have been directed to go back and will be called back if required. The decision was taken as we investigated all angles but yet we could not arrive at a conclusion. As work will be pending at places where they were working and as there are no signs of cracking the case anytime soon, we did not want to hold them for long,” an official said.

The SIT that started the probe with around 25 policemen had swollen to 100 within a few days and close to 200 within 2-3 weeks.

Senior officials had called in those officers who were experienced in handling complicated and blind cases. But none of their efforts paid off as Gauri Lankesh’s murderers have not left any clues for the police to chase.

“The investigation was laborious and we left no stone unturned. Starting from the analysis of call detail records to CCTV footage, we investigated the case in detail from all possible angles.

Unfortunately, we have not been able to conclude so far what led to the murder. We only eliminated the Naxal and professional angles, but other angles like the personal enmity and right wing involvement are still being probed. Releasing the sketches of two suspects has also not worked in our favour. But some officers are working day in and day out to get leads on the assailants,” the official said.