New Delhi, Oct 14 (IANS): An accused in a brutal murder case, absconding since 2015, was arrested by Delhi Police's Crime Branch of the Delhi Police from Himachal Pradesh, an official said on Thursday.

According to the police, accused Lalit Sahni was, with his brother Vijay Sahni and another, involved in the murder of Naresh Sahni in 2015.

The victim's wife had lodged a case at Delhi's Vivek Vihar police station that on January 26, 2015, her husband had received a call from Vijay Sahni, who promised to return Rs 3.5 lakh he had borrowed and called him to Haryana's Panipat for this.

According to police, Naresh Sahni's wife had got a call from him at 6 p.m. to inform her that he had reached Panipat and would return at night. "But when, at 7 p.m., she called her husband over his mobile, the phone was switched off," a police officer said.

Later, it was learnt that Lalit and Vijay Sahni, along with their brother-in-law Ranjeet Rai, brutally murdered Naresh Sahni by hitting him with bricks and threw his body in a ditch near Raj Nagar Railway Station in Panipat.

All the three were declared proclaimed offenders in this case in March 2016. Police had made several attempts to apprehend them but they proved elusive.

Police said that after committing the murder, Lalit Sahni went and hid at his native place in Bihar's Madhubani, working as a cook in various marriage functions and also went to Punjab in search of work and to hide himself.

"Delhi Police reached his native place on two occasions. However, local people informed him both times and he evaded the team," an official said.

Police got a tip-off that Lalit Sahni is in Himachal Pradesh's Theog and Vijay Sahni in Bihar's Darbhanga and sent two teams. While Lalit Sahni was arrested and brought to Delhi, his brother could not be traced.

Police are searching for both Vijay Sahni and Rai.