Gauri Lankesh murder case: Tissues on toothbrush match DNA of ‘shooter’, says forensic expert in court

Purushotham presented a series of findings, including the DNA match of tissues found on a toothbrush with Vagmore, as well as hair found on bedsheets at hideouts with other key players in the murder plot.

The DNA match is considered a key evidence to link the Vagmore’s presence in Bengaluru during the execution of the crime plotted by a right-wing group. The SIT charge sheet filed in November 2018 identifies Vagmore as the one who shot Gauri Lankesh at the doorstep of her house.

The toothbrush with Vagmore’s DNA material was among the personal belongings dumped following the murder by a building contractor, H L Suresh, whose house was used as a hideout for planning and executing the murder by six men, including Vagmore. The SIT recovered a bag containing toothbrushes, clothes, and fake vehicle number plates in August 2018 following the arrest of Suresh – an alleged activist of the Sanatan Sanstha affiliate the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti.

The DNA analysis of the abandoned toothbrushes at the hideout did not throw up a DNA profile match for other accused like Ganesh Miskin — the alleged rider of the motorbike that took the shooter to Lankesh’s house, or Amit Baddi who provided logistical support or Suresh.

Apart from the DNA evidence linking the shooter to the hideout ahead of the murder, the SIT also found a match between DNA strands from hair found on a blanket at the hideout and the DNA profile of the alleged mastermind of the murder, Amol Kale, 39, a former Pune convenor of the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti. Kale has been named as the main accused by the SIT in the Lankesh murder case.

Purushotham told the trial court that the DNA derived from hair samples sent by the SIT was identical to the DNA profile of Amol Kale but not Vagmore.