New Delhi, Aug. 28: Police have arrested one of the alleged murderers of an USAID officer whose killing a fortnight ago took the veils off the gay community in the national capital.

The 38-year-old official, Pushkin Chandra, son of a retired IAS official and a Doon School alumni, was found murdered with his partner Kuldip at his residence in the posh locality of Anand Lok. It is believed his insistence on photographing two people as they engaged in homosexual acts might have led to the murder; however, several items were robbed from his house as well.

Police are thus not ruling out robbery as a motive after arresting three people today, including Rajesh, 24, who allegedly killed Pushkin. Rajesh and Moti, both school van drivers, are believed to have committed the double murder. Moti, also 24 and a Nepalese, is learnt to have fled back to Nepal.

Rajesh, who lives in central Delhi’s Old Rajinder Nagar, was arrested today along with Jai Kumar and his son Praveen, who received the many goods stolen from the USAID officer’s house after he was murdered. Jai and Praveen live in the servants quarters at Pusa Road, also in central Delhi.

Delhi police commissioner K.K. Paul reconstructed the chain of events leading to the murders. Paul said Pushkin must have picked up Rajesh and Moti from Connaught Place after work on August 14. Both drivers were known to Pushkin for they had met four to five times earlier.

Chandra, Kuldip and the drivers then attended a farewell party hosted by UNDP officer Uffe Gartner, a Dane, at nearby Sanwal Nagar around 11.30 pm. Gartner was leaving for Paris by a 3 am flight the next day to take up a new posting. Well-known among the gay community, Gartner’s house was a haven for those who wanted to stay in the closet and socialise without inhibitions.

The foursome returned to Pushkin’s house and began to engage in homosexual activity. The trouble started when Pushkin fished out a camera and began taking pictures of Rajesh and Moti. He did not stop even when they objected, prompting them to grab knives from the kitchen and stab him repeatedly. Kuldip was killed because he was a witness.

The bodies were found in a state of undress and a huge stash of pornographic CDs and photographs of men in compromising positions with other men was found.

The police are also looking at blackmail as a possible motive after learning from Pushkin’s friends that he frequently picked up young men from lower middle class backgrounds as partners.

After killing Pushkin and Kuldip, Rajesh and Moti stole electronic items like a DVD, VCD, camera and credit card and drove away in his Opel Corsa. They abandoned the car at Bela Road in Daryaganj at a parking lot where shop owners park their cars.