Bengaluru: Two main suspects have been identified in the murder of senior journalist Gauri Lankesh, officers of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up to probe the case said this morning and released three sketches. Two of these sketches are based on different descriptions of the same suspect.

“Two male suspects have been identified based on information from our technical team and information from locals. We have prepared a sketch of the suspects. We got some leads from the CCTVs outside Gauri Lankesh’s home. We are investigating all angles. We have so far found no link to the Dabholkar murder,” B.K. Singh, who is heading the SIT told reporters.

He added that one of the suspects sported a ‘tilak’ on his forehead, but that might have been done to ‘mislead’ investigators. Gauri Lankesh, the editor of Kannada tabloid Gauri Lankesh Patrike, was shot dead outside her residence in Bengaluru on Sept. 5 by unidentified assailants.

“Before committing the crime, the suspects have stayed in the city at least for a week and have done a recce of Gauri’s house. We want the public to help us identify if they had stayed in their area,” Singh said.

“We don’t know anything about them. We want the public to help us,” Singh said. “CCTV footage captured shows the suspects with their visor up, and using technology we could get the sketch. We are still verifying the bike, but we know the make. Both the suspects are 25-35 years of age,” he said.

“If you look at the sketch in Kalburgi case and this, there is a lot of effort. Each sketch took more than 48 hours. Not computer-generated,” Singh said answering a specific question on how even the Kalburgi case had sketches but no arrests.

Singh further said that so far, based on evidence at hand, they have only been able to eliminate her professional angle as it had nothing to do with her profession. “All other angles, including personal are still open. Even her life as an activist, for that matter,” Singh said.