Bhubaneswar: Caretaker Balabhadra Maharana (40), who was arrested from Gujarat on Wednesday in connection with the recent murder of his 76-year-old employer Kunjalata Nanda here, moved across five states within seven days after leaving Odisha in a bid to evade arrest, police said on Thursday.Police added they seized Rs 20,600 in cash, two mobile phones, a SIM card, a gold locket, a ring, a pair of earrings, a diary and other documents from the accused.The accused allegedly strangled Nanda and smashed her head against a wall at her Laxmisagar residence around 10 pm on Nov 3, before fleeing with cash and gold ornaments. The crime came to light the following morning.“The quantity and value of cash and jewellery are still being assessed. To evade arrest, he moved across multiple states, travelling from Puri to Kolkata (West Bengal), Ranchi (Jharkhand), Raipur (Chhattisgarh), Panipat (Haryana) and finally Surat (Gujarat). Our team tracked and arrested him from a Delhi-bound bus near Vadodara,” police commissioner S Dev Datta Singh said.Police said Maharana remained constantly on the move, shuttling between cities by train and bus without checking into hotels, apparently to avoid detection. Police are also probing whether he received assistance or shelter during his week-long flight.Police said Maharana broke down during interrogation and claimed he regretted his actions. “Our investigation is continuing to establish the precise sequence of events and recover the remaining stolen property,” the officer said.According to police sources, Maharana may have planned the crime nearly a month in advance. Police are examining whether robbery was the sole motive or whether he killed the elderly woman after being confronted while attempting to steal.“We are questioning him to ascertain if there was any underlying grievance or personal resentment against the victim, including suspected ill-treatment,” a police officer said.