Raju Tiwari, the first suspect to be arrested in connection with Arup Bhandari's murder in Howrah, has admitted to his involvement in the crime, police said.

Tiwari, who was arrested from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday, was brought to Howrah on Friday. He has been sent to police custody for 14 days.

'During interrogation, Tiwari confessed to the crime. But we are yet to know the motive behind the fatal assault,' said an officer of the Howrah commissonerate.

The first breakthrough in Bhandari's murder came on Thursday, a week after the assault and within 24 hours of chief minister Mamata Banerjee's visit to the youth's home in Salkia.

During her visit on Wednesday, Mamata said the police could have moved faster. The police swung into action as soon as Mamata announced in public that all the accused, who had fled to other states, would be arrested shortly.

The victim's family members had accused the police of failing to act on their FIR in which the names of five suspects had been mentioned.

After visiting Bhandari's house, Mamata described the fatal assault as an outcome of an 'internal feud' and raised a question on the family's claim that Arup had been attacked for protesting teasing of two women.

Another officer said the police had not got enough time to interrogate Tiwari 'extensively'. 'Since he confessed to his involvement, now knowing the reason behind the assault is just a mater of time,' he said.

Bhandari, a resident of Rishikesh Ghosh Lane, was hit on the head with an iron rod, allegedly by some local youths, while he was returning home after Saraswati idol immersion on the night of January 28. He was taken to a nursing home, where he slipped into a coma and died on Monday morning.

'We have sent teams to several places in Bihar, Jharkhand and UP,' the officer said. 'We have come across some specific leads and more arrests are expected shortly.'