The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Karnataka Police on Friday arrested KT Naveen Kumar, the suspect in the murder of Kannada tabloid Editor Gauri Lankesh who was murdered brutally in front of her house on the outskirts of Bengaluru nearly six months ago. Meanwhile a city court has granted the custody of the accused to SIT for further investigation. Opposing the bail plea of KT Naveen Kumar alias ‘Hotte Manja’, the Government advocate informed the court that the police need to interrogate him further.

The Government advocate also gave details of the investigation to the court in a sealed cover, marking a major development in the sensational case. The police also wanted permission from the court to carry out lie detector test, brain mapping and narco test on the “accused”. However, court posted the matter for deciding whether tests can be allowed for March 12.

Earlier, SIT, tasked with probing Lankesh murder case, had Naveen in its custody for questioning, which ended on Friday. The police, thereafter, sought time from court for further questioning. The court allowed the custody till March 15.

The Opposition BJP has alleged that the State’s Congress Government is trying to “pin the murder” on Naveen Kumar because of his affiliation with Hindutva organisations.

Kumar was arrested by the Bengaluru Police near the main bus terminus at Majestic area a few days ago. Police sources say the suspect either directly involved in Gauri Lankesh’s murder or had supplied weapons to the killers. One of the men caught on the CCTV cameras at Lankesh’s house bears resemblance to him, the sources claim.

Kumar, 37, was taken into custody for questioning last week. Kumar, who hails from Birur town in Chikmagalur district, was taken into custody by a Special Investigation Team of the Karnataka Police on March 2. He was booked by the Bengaluru Police on February 19 under the Arms Act for illegal possession of 15 bullets of a revolver. He had allegedly trained two other suspects Abhi and Ani in shooting. He allegedly made trips to Pune and Mumbai to procure and sell guns.

Police had earlier released sketches of two suspects and asked for public help to put a name to their faces but there hadn't been much of headway. A reward of Rs 10 lakh had also been announced for leads that lead to the arrest of the murderers. Gauri was shot dead by unknown by assailants outside her residence in Bengaluru on September 5, last year. She was the editor of the Gauri Lankesh Patrike, a tabloid known for “anti-establishment” views.

Following her murder, several protests, across the country and especially in prominent parts of Karnataka, had taken place. Gauri Lankesh, 55, the Editor of “Lankesh Patrike”, was shot dead outside her residence on September 05 last year by unidentified men.

The Congress Government had set up the SIT to probe the journalist-activist's killing. However her brother Indrajit Lankesh had demanded a CBI inquiry in to his sister’s murder.