The arrest of a right wing activist for illegal possession of ammunition triggered reports on Friday that the State police had cracked the murder of Gauri Lankesh.
Acting on a tip-off, sleuths from the Organised Crime Wing of the Central Crime Branch, Bengaluru police arrested K.T. Naveen Kumar, 37, hailing from Maddur and a resident of Birur in Chikkamagaluru district, in Upparpete police limits on Sunday.
The police recovered five live bullets of a .32 revolver from his backpack. A case under the Arms Act was booked at Upparpete police station and, on Monday, CCB sleuths got 9-day custody of the accused.
The police team probing the case took the accused to Birur and recovered 10 more live bullets.
A senior officer said, “The accused often boasted of possessing arms and ammunition, but has no record of illegal arms trade. He is known to harbour extreme right wing sympathies, and founded the Hindu Yuva Sene in 2015.”
M.N. Anucheth, Investigating Officer, Special Investigation Team, clarified that the arrest was not made in connection with the Gauri Lankesh case and they are yet to question the accused.
According to an officer, "The SIT has been questioning illegal arm traders. We may question Naveen as well. But he was not on our radar."
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Hubballi (Karnataka), Dec 24: Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Tuesday said he has ordered for a probe by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) into a case in which BJP leader C T Ravi is accused of using a derogatory word against Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar in the Legislative Council last week.
According to officials, a case that has been registered against unknown persons for allegedly attempting to attack Ravi in the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha on December 19, has also been handed over to the CID.
Ravi allegedly used a derogatory word against Hebbalkar in the Legislative Council on December 19 during an altercation between them, when the House was adjourned for a while. He was arrested on the same day evening and taken into the police van from Suvarna Vidhana Soudha premises in Belagavi, based on Hebbalkar's complaint.
"I don't want to comment much on it, I have ordered a CID probe, when the probe is on, one cannot comment or make a statement about it," Parameshwara said in response to a question.
Responding to a question about ordering for the CID probe when Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti termed it as a 'closed chapter', he said, "police will have to do their duty. Chairman will do his duty..."
To a question of five day's delay in filing an FIR into an alleged attempt to attack Ravi, the Home Minister said, "after considering everything, taking Council Chairman's opinion, when things are done procedurally, there might be a delay."
"Everything has to be done in the right manner, so we have given it to CID to probe and find the facts. Ravi has said that he has not used derogatory words, but others including witnesses say something else, all of this has to be investigated, so I have ordered a CID probe," he said.
Belagavi Police Commissioner Iada Martin Marbaniang told PTI that both allegations against Ravi and the case pertaining to allegations regarding attempts to attack him, have been transferred to CID. "Further investigation will be done by the CID."
Responding to the probe being handed over to CID, Ravi said, if CID conducts the probe let it be done under supervision of a sitting judge and let the report be submitted to the judge.
"If the probe is done by the department honestly without succumbing to any pressure, Hirebagewadi police station was enough. If worked under no pressure whether it is a police constable or CID anyone can give justice, if there is pressure no one can provide justice," he told reporters in Chikkamagaluru.
The High Court on December 20 ordered the immediate release of Ravi in its interim order, observing that police failed to follow the procedures in arresting him. However, the bench of Justice M G Uma asked Ravi to co-operate with the investigation and be available for questioning.