Slovak police have detained one or more persons suspected of the murder of investigative reporter Jan Kuciak and his fiancee, several Slovak media outlets reported on Thursday, citing police sources.

The police said on its Facebook page it had detained persons suspected of violent crime and was carrying out home searches but did not say in which case.

The police declined to comment further.

Media, including the websites of SME daily and Aktuality.sk, where Kuciak had worked, reported police were carrying out searches in the south of the country.

Kuciak, who had written about political corruption in Slovakia, was found shot dead along with his fiancee Martina Kusnirova at their home outside Bratislava in February. They were both 27.

The murder shocked the nation and stoked public anger over corruption, leading to the biggest street protests in the country since Communist rule ended in 1989.

The pressure forced the departure of long-serving prime minister Robert Fico and his interior minister Robert Kalinak as well as previous police chief Tibor Gaspar.

Kuciak had, among other things, investigated fraud cases involving businessmen with Slovak political ties. He had also looked into suspected mafia links of Italians with businesses in Slovakia.