Nayak is the seventh person arrested in the murder case. (File)
THE SPECIAL Investigation Team (SIT) probing into the murder of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh has arrested a man who allegedly took a house on rent in Bengaluru to facilitate the stay of four people involved in the killing.
“The SIT has arrested one person, Mohan Nayak, 50, from Dakshina Kannada district,” said DCP M N Anucheth, the chief investigating officer of the SIT. Nayak was arrested on July 18 and produced in court on Thursday. He has been remanded in six days police custody. A social media profile of Nayak indicates that he has been associated with right-wing outfit Sanatan Sanstha and Hindu Janajagruti Samiti for years, and posted dozens of messages from Sanatan Sanstha and HJS publications on his social media account.
Police sources said the SIT’s probe led to Nayak, a resident of Dakshina Kannada, after a phone link to him was found in the diary of Amol Kale, 37, who was arrested by the SIT in May. The sources said that Nayak took a house on rent around 15 km from Lankesh’s house to accommodate four persons directly involved in the murder.
Nayak is the seventh person arrested in the murder case.