By Associated Press Wednesday, May 30, 2007 - Updated: 06:58 AM EST
ANAHEIM, Calif. - A 22-year-old man was detained for questioning in the deaths of a father and daughter whose burned bodies were found last week in Orange County, authorities said. Iftekhar Murtaza of Los Angeles was taken into custody over the weekend on a fugitive warrant in Arizona after investigators learned he was planning to leave the United States, police Sgt. Rick Martinez said Tuesday. Murtaza was apprehended at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport by the U.S. Marshals Office. He is considered a "person of interest" in the deaths of Jayprakash Dhanak and his 20-year-old daughter Karishma Dhanak, Martinez said.
The Orange County Register reported on its Web site late Tuesday that Murtaza had a one-way ticket to Bangladesh when he was arrested.
Citing court documents, the newspaper said Murtaza was the ex-boyfriend of Shayona Dhanak, 18, and had problems with her family.
"Information developed revealed the suspect was upset with Shayona’s parents and sister for discontinuing the relationship due to different religious backgrounds, Hindu and Muslim," the court papers said.
The Dhanaks were Hindu, while Murtaza is Muslim, the newspaper said.
Shayona Dhanak was elsewhere when the attack occurred and has been under police protection.
Authorities declined to elaborate on the warrant. Martinez said no charges have been filed and the investigation was continuing.
"This case is very wide and complex, and there’s a lot of missing pieces to the puzzle," he said. "We’re still trying to get a clear picture of what took place, and who was involved."
It was not immediately known whether Murtaza had hired an attorney. A residential phone listing for him was disconnected.
Several hours before the bodies were found May 22 along a hiking trail, the Dhanak family home was set ablaze and the mother, Leela, was found unconscious and badly beaten outside. She remained hospitalized Tuesday, and authorities said they have yet to interview her.
Police believe at least two men committed the crimes.
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