Bengaluru, Jun 26 (IANS): Bengaluru police have arrested three more persons who are suspected to be involved in the murder of BJP leader Rekha Kadiresh in Bengaluru, said the police on Saturday.

The police added that so far five persons suspected to have been involved in connection with the killing of Rekha have been arrested. She was hacked to death by an armed gang in broad daylight on Thursday.

According to police, three accused are identified as Stephen (21), Ajay, (21) and Purushottam (22), all residents of Cottonpet, Bengaluru.

The police added that the search team has arrested Peter a.k.a. Lamboo Peter (46) and Surya (19) in the wee hours of Friday after opening fire on them when they resisted the police efforts to nab them.

The police said that of the five at least three are related to Rekha's husband Kadiresh who too was killed in a similar fashion in February 2018. "Arrested accused are part of Kadiresh's criminal gang that operated in the Cottonpet area. These accused have a history of often falling out and joining Kadiresh in the past too," explained the police.

Slain BJP leader, Rekha (45) was second wife to S. Kadiresh, and elected twice to Bengaluru Local Civic Body on the BJP's ticket.

Prior to his death, Kadiresh was facing more than dozen cases of murders, extortion and attempt to murder cases and ran gang in Cottonpet, one of the oldest and thickly populated areas.

The police has registered a case and an investigation is underway.