Hyderabad: A casual Instagram upload by one of the accused helped Cyberabad police crack the sensational murder of a 50-year-old homemaker at Swan Lake Apartments under Kukatpally police station limits.

Three suspects from Ranchi -- Harsh Kumar, Roshan Singh and Raju Varma -- were arrested in Jharkhand after investigators traced their movements using a social media clue.

Following the brutal killing on September 10, Harsh and Roshan, both employed as domestic help in the apartment complex, fled Hyderabad with stolen ornaments, cash and watches. "To evade detection, they switched off their mobile phones immediately after boarding a hired cab from Hafeezpet. They even borrowed strangers' phones along the way to make calls," a source told Deccan Chronicle.

The duo maintained contact with Raju Varma, who was coordinating their movements, by using random phones. Police made a breakthrough when one of the accused uploaded a selfie on Instagram after reaching his village. The photograph inadvertently captured the yellow-plated number of the hired cab. Investigators traced the number to a cab-rental outlet in Hafeezpet, leading them to identify the driver.

Armed with this lead, teams from the CCS, special operations team and Kukatpally police, who were already stationed in Delhi, redirected their search to Ranchi. Despite limited support from local police, the Cyberabad teams tracked down the accused and arrested them late Sunday night. Raju Varma, who had sheltered the duo, was also taken into custody. Police recovered gold ornaments, 16 watches, two mobile phones, the victim's house key, and rolled-gold articles from their possession.