Thrissur: The prime accused in the murder of a man who was assaulted to death at a suspected brothel in Thrissur has been arrested from Assam.

The accused, Noor Alam, a native of Assam, was arrested by a special investigation team led by the Circle Inspector of the Thrissur East Police Station after he was tracked down in his home state.

The victim, Dhanpat Naik, a native of Odisha, succumbed to injuries after he was brutally assaulted at a rented house on Korappath Lane in Thrissur city, where police suspect a brothel was operating. With Noor Alam's arrest, the total number of accused held in the case has risen to seven. Earlier, police had arrested four men and two women in connection with the incident.

According to the police, the incident occurred at 10 pm on June 18 when Dhanpat Naik and a friend visited the premises. After availing sexual services, Dhanpat complained about the quality of the service, triggering an argument over payment with those running the establishment.

The dispute soon escalated into a violent assault. Police said Dhanpat was repeatedly attacked, including with a metal bangle-like object, leaving him with critical injuries. He was rushed to Thrissur Medical College Hospital, where he later died while undergoing treatment.

Following the incident, Noor Alam fled to Assam. Acting on intelligence inputs, the special investigation team tracked him down and arrested him, bringing the key accused in the case into custody.