Jammu: J&K police achieved a major breakthrough when they arrested domestic help Yasir Ahmad for killing Director General of Police, prisons, Hemant Kumar Lohia in Jammu.
“After a major manhunt launched by J&K police throughout the night, the accused involved in the murder case of DG Prison, Hemant Lohia has been apprehended. Interrogation of the accused has started,” said Mukesh Singh, ADGP, Jammu.
Police sources said he was arrested from Kanachak area.
Earlier, Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh said the domestic help attacked DGP prisons Hemant Kumar Lohia with a sharp-edged weapon and later tried to set his body ablaze.
“The accused has been aggressive. DGP prisons had a foot injury. Domestic help (Yasir Ahmad) while trying to massage the foot attacked him with a sharp-edged weapon and later tried to set his body ablaze,” Singh told reporters after visiting Lohia’s residence in Jammu.
DGP also ruled out the terror angle for a time being. However, he noted that the investigation will cover all angles.
Singh said the accused locked the main door while family members tried hard to save DG Prisons. “It seems that DG Prisons succumbed to injuries,” he said.
Earlier, Mukesh Singh in a statement said that in the initial investigation into the incident of death of DG Prisons, HK Lohia, it has come to fore that one domestic helper Yasir Ahmad, a resident of Ramban, is the main accused.
“Some CCTV footage collected from the incident site also shows the suspected accused running away after committing the crime,” police said.
Police said Yasir was working in the house for nearly six months.
“Initial investigation reveals that he was quite aggressive in his behavior and was also under depression as per sources,” the statement said. “So far no terror act is apparent as per Initial investigation but a thorough probe is on to rule out any possibility. The weapon of offence has been seized besides some documentary evidence reflecting his mental state.”
Body of Hemant Lohia was found under suspicious circumstances.
A 1992 batch IPS officer, Lohia had returned from central deputation in February this year. A highly decorated officer, he was serving in BSF before returning to Jammu and Kashmir. Lohia was later promoted to DGP rank. He was posted as DGP prisons in August.
During his 30 years career, he served in different capacities in Jammu and Kashmir police. He was DIG central Kashmir at the height of militancy. He was instrumental in neutralizing the fidayeen attack at Lal Chowk in which he caught Pakistani militant alive. Later he served as DIG south Kashmir. He also had a stint in CID before proceeding on central deputation.
