Gauri Lankesh murder: 199 pages from seized notebooks with phone numbers missing

BENGALURU: As many as 199 pages are missing from two notebooks seized from an accused in connection with the Gauri Lankesh murder case, the special court conducting the trial was informed recently.
Sleuths from the special investigation team (SIT) had seized the notebooks from the Hubballi factory of Ganesh Miskin, who rode a bike that ferried Parashuram Waghmore, the man who pulled the trigger on Gauri.
According to SIT sleuths, many mobile numbers and names of several people were mentioned in these books, which were seized by then assistant investigating officer and then assistant commissioner of police, Hubballi, NB Sakri.
Deposing before a special court for Karnataka Control of Organised Crime Act (KCOCA), Sakri had stated that on September 7, 2018, he visited an incense stick making factory at Old Hubballi. Ganesh Miskin’s mother and younger brother Ravi Miskin were present there. “That day, we seized two notebooks with 192 sheets each. Some names were written in Kannada and English along with different mobile numbers on those books,” Sakri deposed before the court.
Officials had also seized a weigh bridge bill book that was in the name of Ganesh Miskin.
However, during Sakri’s cross-examination, Krishnamoorthy P, counsel for Miskin, counted the number of pages in the two books and said it had only 92 and 87 sheets, respectively. Krishnamoorthy asked Sakri where the pages had gone. Sakri said he was unaware of missing sheets.
Gauri Lankesh, journalist and an activist who was an outspoken critic of ring-wing ideology, was shot dead by two bike-borne men outside her house in Rajajrajeshwari Nagar, west Bengaluru, on the night of Sept 5, 2017. Earlier in March, SC had issued notice to Mohan Nayak, key accued in the case, who was released on bail by Karnataka HC.