Following journalist Gauri Lankesh’s brutal murder on Tuesday night in Bengaluru, the autopsy report has now revealed that four bullets were fired at her out of which three pierced her body.
The fragments of the fourth bullet that missed the target were found in a wall of her home, investigations by Bengaluru police have revealed.
Four cartridges and fragments of four bullets have been recovered by investigators in the 10-feet distance between her gate and the entrance to her house.
According to the police, the post-mortem examination that was carried out on Wednesday morning at Victoria Hospital has revealed that one of the bullets entered from behind her left shoulder and two bullets from the front, damaging her lungs and heart.
Police have recovered footage from four cameras in her house. The footage from her garage gives a glimpse of the killer who is seen wearing a helmet.
“The person does not take the helmet off, it would be difficult to understand who it is, even if we use sophisticated face recognition,” a police source who has seen the footage told TNM.
Although not more than one attacker could be seen in the CCTV visuals accessed as of now, an investigating officer said that there were three assailants involved in the crime.
Police suspect that the shooting was carried out by contract killers. They also suspect that she was being followed for a few days and the murder was pre-planned.
The Karnataka Chief Minister K Siddaramaiah has ordered a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe into the murder.
Three teams of detectives have been set up to probe the case and so far, footage from more than 30 CCTVs in the locality is being examined.
Police are also questioning Gauri’s neighbours about what they saw on the night of her murder and also about suspicious movements on that fatal day.
Karnataka home minister Ramalinga Reddy said the police have gathered crucial clues about the assailants and also said that arrests would be made soon.
Known for her staunch views against Hindutva forces, Gauri was shot dead at her residence in Bengaluru, following which widespread protests erupted across the country.