SARLAHI, JULY 2 Police have arrested a 25-year-old man for allegedly murdering his father in Sarlahi, saying the crime was driven by a family dispute and followed by an attempt to mislead investigators. Santosh Kumar Rai of Basbariya Rural Municipality-1 was arrested 11 days after the killing of his 53-year-old father, Hos Narayan Rai Yadav, District Police Office, Sarlahi, said on Thursday. According to police, the accused confessed during preliminary interrogation that he attacked his father over a dispute involving a mobile phone, resentment after being denied money, and anger over his family's plan to send him to a rehabilitation centre. Investigators also said he had tried to divert suspicion towards other family members. The victim was attacked with a sharp weapon while sleeping at his home in Manpur at around 1:10 am on June 21. He was rushed to Barhathawa Municipal Hospital with critical neck injuries but was declared dead shortly after arrival. Police said the investigation involved forensic analysis, CCTV footage, call detail records, mobile location tracking and a K-9 unit from the Madhesh Province Police Office. Initially, family members had reported that unidentified assailants on a motorcycle carried out the attack. However, investigators later found that the accused had allegedly stolen a motorcycle before the incident, used it to reach the crime scene and abandoned it in Lalbandi Municipality after the murder. The motorcycle was recovered on June 28. Rai was arrested on June 30 while reportedly hiding near Barhathawa Bazaar with the help of local residents. Police said the suspect admitted to stealing the motorcycle, using it during the crime and abandoning it while fleeing. The sickle believed to have been used in the murder has yet to be recovered. Police have obtained a seven-day remand from the Sarlahi District Court and are continuing investigations on charges of murder and theft.