The Bahraich police on Thursday arrested Khurshid Ahmad, the suspected main conspirator behind the communal violence that erupted during a Durga idol immersion procession on October 13 in Maharajganj town.

Senior police officials said Ahmad had fled to Nepal following the incident and was apprehended upon his return to India on in the morning.

"On October 13, during the Durga idol immersion procession in Maharajganj, a premeditated conspiracy led to the brutal murder of a young man named Ram Gopal Mishra. This was followed by arson, looting and vandalism in the area," Additional Superintendent of Police (Rural) Durga Prasad Tiwari told reporters.

"Khurshid Ahmad and his associates were responsible for disrupting the procession by stopping the DJ, creating tensions that escalated into violence and the fatal shooting of Mishra," the officer said.

Prior incidents revealed that Ahmad and his associates had attempted to disrupt a Ganesh idol immersion procession in the area, he added.

"It was evident that he had planned to target the Durga idol immersion procession as well and he orchestrated the attack with his associates before fleeing to Nepal. Our teams acted swiftly upon his return to India and took him into custody," Tiwari said.

The officer said Ahmad would now be produced in court.

The police arrested another key conspirator, Shakeel, on Sunday.

In total, 122 individuals from both sides have been detained in connection with the violence.

Superintendent of Police (Bahraich) Vrinda Shukla has announced a cash reward of Rs 10,000 for information leading to the arrest of three additional suspects -- Saif Ali, Javed and Shoaib, who remain at large.

In response to the violence, the Bahraich police filed around 15 cases against more than a dozen identified individuals and over 1,000 unidentified persons.

A specialised police team comprising IT experts was formed to analyse more than 1,000 video recordings of the events, with a dedicated control room established to support the investigation.

Mishra (21), a resident of Rehua Mansoor village, was killed during the violence on October 13. The matter was allegedly triggered by loud music being played outside a place of worship during the procession.

The incident triggered two days of unrest, as communal clashes spread to Mahsi, Maharajganj, and Bahraich city, resulting in extensive damage to property. The situation prompted a curfew-like situation in the region with heavy deployment of security personnel and Internet suspension for a few days.

The communal violence also snowballed into a major political controversy with the ruling BJP and opposition parties such as the Samajwadi Party and the Congress trading barbs.

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