Shimla, June 14 -- A Panchkula resident allegedly murdered his cousin by slitting his throat at a hotel in Shimla, the local police said on Friday. A manhunt is underway for the accused, Arjun Sharma of Sector 10, Panchkula, who had checked into Hotel Grand Majestic, near Dhalli Tunnel, with the victim, Akash Sharma of Sector 26, Chandigarh, around 8.20 pm on June 11. Preliminary investigation revealed that the cousins, aged around 22-23, had come to Shimla to celebrate a birthday. But during the early hours of June 13, a heated altercation erupted between the duo at the hotel. Amid the altercation, Arjun slit Akash's throat with a sharp weapon and struck his head with a beer bottle, before fleeing on his motorcycle, investigators shared. The murder came to fore after Arjun reportedly contacted his family and confessed to the murder. Around 10 am, the family contacted the hotel and asked them to check the cousins' room, police said. "Acting on the information, the hotel receptionist opened the room using the master key and found Akash lying on the bed in a pool of blood. He immediately informed the police through emergency number 100. A police team from Dhalli police station responded to the scene promptly. A Forensic Science Laboratory team also arrived to collect evidence," police said. Arjun was booked under Section 103 (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the Dhalli police station on the statement of Manish Thakur, the hotel receptionist....