New Delhi, May 26 : The Crime Branch of Delhi Police has arrested a man for allegedly murdering his friend, an official said, adding the accused also had an illicit relationship with the deceased's mother.

The arrested individual was identified as Virender a.k.a. Mota (33), a resident of Sonipat district in Haryana. He has been on the run since Harsh, 23, was found dead over a month ago.

According to police, on April 13, the body of Harsh was detected by his roommate in their rented accommodation in Khirki Extension.

"A subsequent postmortem confirmed that Harsh had been strangled, leading to the registration of a murder case," said an official.

The case was assigned to the Crime Branch for a parallel investigation alongside the local police.

According to officials, Harsh was an active member of several 'homosexual clubs' in the Delhi-NCR region.

"Extensive raids were conducted across various locations, including Dehradun, Haridwar, Delhi, and Gurugram. While one suspect, Mohit, was apprehended, Virender, managed to evade capture," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime), Rakesh Pawariya.

However, on May 21, police received a tip-off that Virender would be in the Rajender Nagar area of Gurugram to meet an associate.

"After careful planning and groundwork, the team successfully tracked Virender's movements and laid a trap at the anticipated location. He was eventually nabbed, and he confessed to his involvement in the murder during questioning," said the DCP.

Virender told police that he had been working with his cousin Mohit a.k.a. Rahul for Rapido in the Delhi and Gurugram area.

"It was revealed that Virender had illicit relations with Harsh's mother. About two years ago, a friend of Harsh had caught Virender in a compromising position with Harsh's mother, leading to initial animosity that later turned into a friendship between Virender and Harsh,' said the DCP.

On April 11, Harsh invited Virender to a beer party at his flat via a video call. Virender, accompanied by Mohit, attended the party.

"The evening took a tragic turn when, during a drunken altercation, Harsh challenged Virender's masculinity, enraging him. In a fit of anger, Virender strangled Harsh to death and fled the spot, attempting to stage the crime as a suicide by discarding Harsh's mobile phone in Rohini," said the DCP.

After committing the murder, Virender went into hiding in various locations in the NCR region, including Gurugram, Dehradun and Haridwar.

"He avoided using mobile phones to evade capture, relying on train travel without tickets and sustenance from Gurdwaras and bhandaras," said the DCP.

/IANS