Mangaluru | The prime suspect in the murder of four members of a family in Udupi has been arrested, police sources said on Wednesday.

The suspect has been identified as Praveen Arun Chougale (28), who was arrested from a relative's house at Kuduchi in Belagavi district Tuesday evening, sources said.

Chougale is allegedly behind the brutal murder of four members of a family in Udupi on Sunday morning. He reportedly was a former cabin crew member of an airline and had the background as a CRPF personnel, sources said.

The suspect was arrested in a joint operation by Udupi district police with the Belagavi police. Further investigation is in progress, sources said.

Four members of a family, Haseena (46) and her three children, Afnan (23), Aynaz (21) and Aseem (12) were stabbed to death by an unidentified assailant on Sunday morning. Hassena's mother-in-law Hajira (70) was critically injured in the attack and is being treated at a hospital.

The accused had escaped within minutes after committing the crime.