BENGALURU: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) is all set to take over the custody of K.T. Naveen Kumar, the 37-year-old gun dealer arrested in connection with the murder of activist and journalist Gauri Lankesh, to subject him to narco-analysis test at the Forensic Sciences Laboratory in Gandhinagar.
Naveen is now under judicial custody at the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru. The SIT, which had got an approval for the narco-analysis test on Naveen from a court, had approached the FSL Gandhinagar for dates in March.
The FSL has agreed to carry out the test between April 16 and 30. On March 12, the third ACMM court had given permission for the test on Naveen after he agreed to undergo the test.
But Naveen has allegedly written to the jailer of Parappana Agrahara objecting to the test and has sought his help to inform the court. Naveen’s advocate Ved Murthy told Deccan Chronicle that he too has received the letter on his WhatsApp but doubted its authenticity. “Last time we met in the court, he had agreed to undergo the test. I doubt if it is written by him or someone else in his name,” he said.
Naveen, the founder of radical Hindutva outfit Hindu Yuva Sene, is the only accused arrested in Gauri’s murder. Central Crime Branch (CCB) sleuths arrested him on February 18 from Kempegowda bus station and found over 15 rounds of cartridges of .32 calibre in his possession which he was allegedly selling to a customer.
Later the SIT took over his custody for questioning and then arrested him in connection with Gauri’s murder. Since Naveen did not cooperate with the investigation, the SIT decided to subject him to narco-analysis test.
Informed about the test but no clarity
Ved Murthy said that the SIT has informed him about the test and dates. “The team also told me that I can accompany the accused for the test. But there was no clarity over dates and place where the test is scheduled. The SIT ought to inform me the fixed date for the test,” Mr Murthy said, adding that he was filing an application before the court seeking clarity over the test and dates.
