The ISRO scientist was a technical expert with the NRSC, and was staying alone (Representational)

A 39-year-old lab technician was on Friday taken into custody for allegedly killing a scientist with the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), following a dispute over payment of money after having ''unnatural sex'' with the latter, police said.

On October 1, S Suresh Kumar, aged 56, was found dead with head injuries in his apartment, they said.

He was a technical expert with the NRSC, and was staying alone as his family was away.

His loneliness induced the suspect working with a private diagnostic centre to get closer to him in the name of blood collection, city police commissioner Anjani Kumar said in a press release.

"Exploiting his loneliness and urge to perform unnatural act, the suspect expected monetary favours in return. As he did not get the expected amount, he hatched a plan to kill him. He bought a knife, and went to his flat on September 30 and spent time with the scientist and after having a physical relationship with him, he attacked him with the knife causing serious head injuries," the commissioner said.

Later, the victim's wife, who stays in Chennai, informed her relatives that her husband was not answering the phone after which her relatives who were staying in the same apartment on the ground floor went and found the flat's door locked from outside and informed her, the police said.

She immediately came to Hyderabad on the evening of October 1. With the assistance of the police, the door was broken open and based on her complaint, a case was registered.

Police formed three teams and cracked the case after verifying CCTV footage, the mobile data of the victim.