Fingerprints give away Lankesh murder accused

Bengaluru: He did everything possible to cover up the trail of blood but his fingerprints on a trunk that he had locked in a hurry after hiding the killer contraband 7.65mm pistol, gave the game away. Sudhanva Gondhalekar,  a 39-year-old techie and businessman from Karanji Peth in Satara district, who was recently arrested along with Vaibhav Raut and Sharad Kasalkar in an arms haul case in Maharashtra by the anti-terrorism squad (ATS), is reportedly involved in the Gauri Lankesh murder.

According to sources, he had allegedly assisted in concealing the murder weapon -the 7.65mm country made pistol, which was used to kill Gauri. He had come to Bengaluru from Satara after Gauri's murder and had taken back the pistol from Amol Kale -his alleged friend from Pune and an accused in the Gauri murder case and had kept the firearm inside a trunk, which he had locked and left in the custody of Suresh- the man, who had rented out his house in Seegehalli to the accused. Suresh has also been arrested in the case.

Gondhalekar's fingerprints on the trunk have reportedly given him away. “He will soon be questioned by the Karnataka special investigation team in Mumbai and if need be, he will be brought to Bengaluru on transit remand,” said a source on condition of anonymity. What happened thereafter to the killer 7.65mm pistol remains a mystery. It has not been found till date.

Meanwhile, former Shiv Sena councillor from Jalna district and suspect in the recent arms haul case in Maharashtra, Srikant Pangarkar, is another person of “utmost interest” in the earlier two murder cases in Maharashtra.