Former member of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council and National Conference leader Trilochan Singh Wazir was found dead in a flat in West Delhi’s Moti Nagar on Thursday morning, police said.
A case of murder was registered in this matter. The investigation has been transferred to the Delhi Police’s Crime Branch while the force’s Special Cell will assist them, officials said.
The partially decomposed body of 67-year-old Wazir with the head wrapped in a plastic bag was found in a washroom of the flat which was taken on rent by his acquaintance Harpreet Singh (31), a native of Amritsar, police said.
According to them, Wazir arrived in Delhi on September 2 and was staying with Harpreet Singh and his friend Harmeet Singh at their rented flat in the Basai Darapur area.
Both Harpreet and Harmeet are absconding and multiple teams have been formed to trace them. Their Call Detail Records are being analysed and raids are being conducted at their possible hideouts, police said.
When contacted, in-charge Crime Scene Management Division of Rohini’s Forensic Science Laboratory Sanjeev Gupta said a four member team visited the spot and collected crime exhibits.
An official said the body was found to be wrapped with three to four layers of clothes while the head was covered with a plastic bag.
Wazir’s brother has claimed the NC leader, a resident of Jammu, was supposed to take a flight to Canada on September 2 to meet his family there. When there was no news of him for days, his family informed the Jammu Police which in turn approached the Delhi Police, an official said.
On Thursday, the Delhi Police received a PCR call from a neighbour complaining about a foul smell from a flat in Moti Nagar. On reaching the spot, police broke open the door and found a partially decomposed body in the washroom, a senior police officer said.
”Information about the recovery of a body was received at the Moti Nagar police station. On reaching the spot, our team found the decomposed body which was identified as Trilochan Singh Wazir by one of his acquaintances,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (West), Urvija Goel said.
The exact nature of injuries on the body will be ascertained only after a post-mortem examination for which a board of doctors has been constituted, the officer said.
During the enquiry, it emerged that the victim’s family had contacted Harpreet Singh to know about Wazir’s whereabouts. They were told that he had taken a flight to Canada on September 2 but was quarantined at Frankfurt after testing Covid positive, a senior police officer said.
But his family turned suspicious and contacted their relatives in Jammu.
Police said they have not got any copy of Wazir’s flight ticket to Canada so far, but his mobile phone has been recovered and it will be examined. Harpreet Singh had rented the flat on the third floor of the building a few months ago and told his neighbours that he was preparing for judiciary exams.
Delhi Police PRO Chinmoy Biswal said the case has been transferred to the crime branch and the Special Cell will assist them in the probe.
According to a neighbour, Harpreet Singh was last seen on Sunday. A truck came and he took all the stuff along with him including furniture, he said. Locals said there was no CCTV camera outside the building which has four entrance gates. Police are scanning footage from CCTV cameras in and around the area. National Conference leader Omar Abdullah expressed shock at the death of his colleague.
”Shocked by the terrible news of the sudden death of my colleague Sardar T. S. Wazir, ex-member of the Legislative Council. It was only a few days ago that we sat together in Jammu not realising it was the last time I would be meeting him. May his soul rest in peace,” he tweeted.
Taking to Twitter, President of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee and National Spokesperson of the Shiromani Akali Dal, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, said, ”Shocked and deeply pained with the murder of my dearest friend like mentor S Tarlochan Singh Wazir ji in Delhi. ”He has given valuable services as Chairman of District Gurudwara Parbandak Board, J&K. My deep condolences to his family. May Waheguru grant eternal peace to his soul,” Sirsa said.
