The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad has taken into custody two suspects arrested in connection with the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh, reported The Indian Express on Thursday. They will be interrogated about their alleged role in a conspiracy to carry out terror attacks in Maharashtra, which was discovered after explosives were seized across the state last month.
Sujeeth Kumar alias Pravin Rangaswamy and Bharat Kurne alias Uncle, both 37, were taken into custody and brought to Mumbai on Wednesday from the central jail in Bengaluru. They were produced in a special court and remanded in police custody till September 17.
Maharashtra’s Chief Public Prosecutor Jaysingh Desai said Kumar and Kurne were linked to a group arrested last month for possessing arms and ammunition. “Investigation has revealed there were several plans hatched by this group and some were withdrawn,” the Hindustan Times quoted Desai as saying. “Kurne is one of the key members involved in the planning.”
An unidentified Anti-Terrorism Squad officer said the interrogation of the those arrested earlier indicated that Kurne and Kumar had received training in handling arms and explosives along with them, reported The Hindu. “We need to find out if, apart from the Gauri Lankesh murder, they also had an active role in any other crimes linked to the outfit,” the officer added.
According to the Anti-Terrorism Squad, Kurne drove Lankesh’s killers to a safe house on the outskirts of Bengaluru. The agency, after interrogating another suspect in the case, found that Kurne owned a three-acre farmhouse in Khanapur in Karnataka’s Belagavi district where Lankesh’s murderers were trained to handle firearms.
The investigators claimed that the accused had conducted a recce in various places to target persons they believed were against Hindu religion and culture, reported The Indian Express. Two vehicles registered at Dharwad and Davanagere in Karnataka were found with duplicate number plates and it is to be ascertained where these were used, the police added.
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