Patna, March 7: Breakthroughs in two murder cases have come as a saving grace for the police — burdened with a number of unresolved crime incidents — in the state capital ahead of Holi.

The police today said they had arrested one person in connection with the murder of Ajay Shankar Tiwary, a 40-year-old trader. The police identified the accused as Rajeev alias Meghan Tiwary, a cousin of the deceased.

On the other hand, two persons involved in the murder of Punjab National Bank (PNB) manager Phanendra Shekhar Sinha were also arrested.

In the first case, the police said Meghan had hired two professionals to kill his cousin. Meghan was arrested from the Shastri Nagar area of Darbhanga by a special team. The police also revealed that Meghan had an illicit relationship with Ajay’s wife, which could have led to the murder.

Ajay, who was a wholesaler-cum-retailer of lubricant oil, was shot dead around 7am on March 3 a few metres from his residence in Sector 4 of Dwarka Puri under Patrakar Nagar police station .

Patna senior superintendent of police Alok Kumar said Meghan, who used to work at Ajay’s shop, had a relationship with the trader’s wife. “It could be possible that she was one of the conspirators. We are interrogating her and her family. Meghan and she were having an affair for a long time. In 2010, she had fled with Meghan to Delhi and stayed with him for more than two months. Later, because of family pressure, both of them returned and Meghan lost his job at Ajay’s shop. The relationship between the two cousins turned sour after this incident,” Alok Kumar said.

Sources said after returning from Delhi, the affair did not end and Meghan wanted to marry the woman and “usurp” Ajay’s property.

Meghan, a native of Sidhinath village of Pandarak in Patna, was also involved in a motorbike robbery in 2005 and had served jail. “Two contract killers were hired for the job. Meghan had promised to pay them Rs 1.5 lakh for the murder. An advance was also paid to the duo. At present, Meghan is being interrogated. The two killers have been identified and cops are conducting raids to nab the duo. The police have recovered a cellphone from Meghan,” the SSP said.

In the bank manager murder case, the SSP said: “Two persons, who worked as brokers and helped people get loans in return of money, have been arrested. Three more people were involved in the murder but at present they are absconding. The bank peon, who was riding pillion with the deceased, has been detained for questioning. All those involved are brokers and the reason of the murder seems denial of loan,” the SSP said.

Sinha, 40, was the manager of Bharathpura branch of PNB under Bikram police station. He was shot dead while he was on his way home to Anisabad on his motorbike on March 5 late evening.