Two residents of a village in Ludhiana were arrested Friday for allegedly strangling and bludgeoning a mason to death following an altercation.

According to the police, the accused, identified as Harwinder Singh and Sandeep Singh of Ludhiana’s village Gorsian Makkhan of Sidhwan Bet, nursed a rivalry against the victim Ram Lakhan, 36, of the same village.

The FIR was lodged following the statement of Raju Rai, the brother of the victim. Raju Rai stated that his brother has left the house on Thursday night claiming that he will return in a few minutes. When he did not return till late at night, they started a search for him.

Raju Rai added that when he reached the road heading to Thath Nanaksar he found the accused assaulting his brother with bricks in a field. When he raised an alarm the accused fled from the spot. Raju Rai also found a piece of rope wrapped around his brother’s neck and immediately informed the police.

Inspector Sunil Kumar, SHO at Sidhwan Bet police station, said that the accused were arrested soon after the lodging of the FIR. A murder case has been filed against the accused. Kumar added that the accused indulged in a spat with the victim following which the accused murdered him.