Sharpshooter Mohammad Kaif, who was wanted in the murder of journalist Rajdev Ranjan in Siwan, Bihar, surrendered before a local court on Wednesday, reported ANI. The court sent him to 14 days' judicial custody in connection with an extortion case.

Kaif's surrender is likely to put the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government in a better position after it faced flak from the Bharatiya Janata Party for not arresting him. The BJP had accused the coalition government of Janata Dal (United), Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress of bringing "gunda raj" back to Bihar after Kaif was spotted with former RJD parliamentarian and local don Mohammad Shahabuddin, who is out on bail.

Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation is now handling the inquiry into Ranjan's murder. The journalist was shot dead from a close range in May by bike-borne assailants near the railway station in Siwan. The police had said it appeared to be a professional shooting, given Ranjan was shot straight through the temple. Rajan had long covered criminal cases against Shahabuddin.