BENGALURU: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the murder of journalist-activist
Gauri Lankesh has taken a former Shiva Sena corporator from Maharashtra into custody.
Srikanth Pangarkar, former member of the Jalna municipal corporation, near Aurangabad, was arrested earlier by Maharashtra Anti Terror Squad for his alleged role in the killing of rationalist
Narendra Dabholkar
.
Stationed in Mumbai central prison, Pangarkar was brought to the city on a warrant and produced before first additional chief metropolitan magistrate court on Monday evening. The judge remanded Pangarkar in 12-day police custody.
SIT cops said Pangarkar is a senior associate of Amol Kale, a prime suspect arrested in Gauri Lankesh murder case. “Amol Kale had revealed that orders to kill Gauri for her anti-Hindu remarks were given by Maharashtra-based men. Investigations revealed Kale was in constant touch with Pangarkar before and after Gauri’s killing,” SIT sources said.
Sources said they have tracked 1,200 phone calls between Kale and Pangarkar in a span of 10 months. “These calls were made between May 2017 and February 2018. Pangarkar played a major role in procuring pistols and live ammunition for Kale and his men to carry out the killing,” sources said.