Manoj Puri being brought to Howrah. Picture by Gopal Senapati

Manoj Puri, 23, a resident of Howrah’s Jaibibi Road, has been arrested in Uttar Pradesh in connection with the murder of Rajesh Kumar Shaw.

The main accused, Rajesh’s brother Sunil, is absconding.

The body of Rajesh, 35, who went missing on March 28, was found in an underground reservoir of the Shaws’ godown near their Jaibibi Road home the next day.

Manoj had been missing since Rajesh’s body was found. The police came to know that he was close to Sunil and that the two were together when Rajesh was killed.

The sleuths tapped Manoj’s cellphone and overheard a conversation during which the youth reportedly said that he and Sunil had killed Rajesh. Manoj also said he had taken shelter in his ancestral village in Uttar Pradesh’s Sultanpur district to escape the cops.

A four-member team of Howrah police left for Uttar Pradesh three days back and arrested Manoj. He was brought to Howrah by the Himgiri Express on Wednesday morning and will be produced in the chief judicial magistrate’s court on Thursday.

Niraj Kumar Singh, the superintendent of Howrah police, said: “Manoj admitted during interrogation that he had helped Sunil kill Rajesh. We will seek police custody for him for further interrogation.”

Singh added: “Raids are being conducted to arrest Sunil. We have come across some clues and hope to net him soon,” Singh added.

Ashok, one of the brothers, told police that Sunil might have killed Rajesh over a property dispute.

Last year, Sunil had been arrested for allegedly attacking Rajesh’s wife Maya with a chopper. Maya has lodged a complaint alleging Sunil’s involvement in the murder.

Sunil lived in Khardah, in North 24-Parganas, while the other Shaw brothers live on Jaibibi Road.