The special investigation team, probing murder of activist-journalist Gauri Lankesh, suffered a huge embarrassment on Saturday after two of the 12 accused arrested in the case alleged the SIT had offered them a bribe of Rs 30 lakh to confess to the crime.
The two accused, Parashuram Waghmore and Manohar Edave, made these startling claims before the media while being escorted by the police to the city civil court in Bengaluru.
"SIT is trying to frame us. I don't know who Gauri Lankesh was. But now the SIT is forcing me to admit to the crime and offered me Rs 30 lakh. The police claim all the accused are linked. But I am seeing the other accused for the first time only after my arrest," said Waghmore.
"The police took my signature on blank sheets of paper and then recorded our statements. They threaten us saying they will frame my family members if I don't yield to their pressure tactics. The SIT is responsible for any harm caused to me or my family," added Waghmore.
READ MORE: On anniversary of Gauri Lankesh killing, cops accused of delaying probe
Edave, who alleged torture by the police, claimed that the SIT was only arresting innocents. "SIT is trying to frame us in Bhagwan (murder plot) case. They are threatening us with dire consequences if we do not toe their line and make confessions as instructed by them," said Edave.
The sessions court has extended their judicial custody till October 12.
It may be recalled that the SIT, which arrested 12 persons since September 5, 2017, when Gauri was shot dead at her Rajarajeshwari Nagar (Bengaluru) residence, had invoked the stringent Karnataka Control of Organised Crimes Act (KCOCA), 2000. It had also stated the murder was a well-planned act of “organised crime” involving a syndicate of highly indoctrinated and trained criminals. It claimed the arrests served as crucial links to murder of three other rationalists and left-wing activists—Narendra Dabholkar (2013), Govind Pansare (February 20, 2015) and M.M. Kalburgi (August 30, 2015).
While Manohar Edave (30) from Vijayapura was one of the three accused to be arrested from Davanagere on May 21, SIT picked up Parashuram Waghmore (26), a Hindu activist from Sindagi in Vijayapura district, in June this year. Waghmore, who is suspected to be the shooter, is a BCom graduate who was associated with Sri Ram Sene, a pro-Hindu outfit.
The SIT sources claim Edave, along with two others, reportedly confessed to hatching a plan to kill Mysuru-based rationalist K.S. Bhagwan on September 9, 2015.
