Prime accused in the RTI activist Vinayak Baliga murder was arrested by the Mangaluru police on Sunday.
M Naresh Shenoy (39), who was on the run since March 21, was arrested in Hejamady near Udupi, reported Indian Express. The accused was produced before the court on Monday.
The motive of the murder is still unclear.
In April, the second additional district and sessions court had rejected Shenoy’s plea for anticipatory bail.
Shenoy is the founder of the Mangaluru unit of the Yuva Brigade, which was originally started as the NaMo Brigade ahead of the 2014 General Elections.
It is reported that Shenoy was hiding in Jammu Kashmir, Gorakhpur and Lucknow and areas bordering Nepal.
Police obtained clues to Shenoy’s whereabouts close to two months after the murder, when they arrested Manju Neereshwallya, an associate of Shenoy, who was reportedly protecting him.
Assailants attacked Vinayak (51) with lethal weapons in Mangaluru on March 21 when he was on his way to the temple. His family and friends allege that he had made powerful enemies because he had unearthed alleged financial irregularities in the management of a temple, and also alleged violations by prominent builders. Police had found a large number of documents in Vinayak’s house.
The police had earlier arrested four accused Vineet Poojary, Nishit Devadiga, Shivaprasad, and Shailesh in connection with the murder.