A man accused in the Gauri Lankesh murder case arrested in Jharkhand on Thursday was sent to four days’ transit remand with a special investigation team of Bengaluru police by a Dhanbad court on Friday. The accused Rajesh Devrikar aka Murli aka Shiva was the 18th person to be arrested.

The SIT produced the accused in court amid heavy security, prior to which he was taken to Patliputra Medical College and Hospital for a medical examination. According to the directive by the court, the accused will have to be produced before a competent court soon after reaching Bengaluru.

“The Bengaluru police SIT arrested one of the several accused who was hiding in Dhanbad under a false identity,” Dhanbad senior superintendent of police Kishore Kaushal said.

The SIT, along with Dhanbad police, arrested the accused on Thursday night from the Katras area where he had been working under a false identity.

Khemka said the man was provided the job on a Goa-based friend’s recommendation. “I was not aware of his criminal antecedents,” Khemka said.

Devrikar had been living near Rajgadhia Market in Katras from where he was picked up by the SIT after it kept an eye on his movements for around a week. “The SIT zeroed in on him on the basis of his mobile location. Police also searched his room for clues,” said SSP Kaushal .