Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir DGP Prisons Department Hemant Kumar Lohia was allegedly murdered by his servant in Jammu. Police have arrested the accused who is suffering from acute depression.
Lohia, 57, was found dead at his home in Udaiwala on the outskirts of Jammu. Police said his throat was slit and burn injuries were present on his body.
The accused after slitting the throat of the officer tried to set the body on fire, however, the flames attracted the attention of the guards who saved the body from the flames. CCTV footage obtained by police shows the accused running from the house after killing the 1992- batch IPS officer.
He was posted as the DGP prisons in August.
Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Jammu zone, Mukesh Singh, said prima facie this is a suspected murder case. The ADGP said Lohia’s domestic, Yasir, is absconding and a search for him has started. Yasir belongs to the Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir. Yasir was apprehended after police teams carried out multiple raids in districts adjoining Jammu.
The accused was working in the house for nearly six months. Initial investigation has revealed that he was quite aggressive in his behaviour and was also under depression.
Mr Lohia was “applying oil on his swollen foot” when he was attacked, Mr Singh said. The killer suffocated Mr Lohia, used the broken ketchup bottle to slit his throat and tried to set the body on fire, according to him.
“The security guards broke into Lohia’s room after they saw flames. The room was locked from inside,” said Mukesh Singh.
Director General of Police Dilbag Singh said a preliminary examination of the crime scene indicated that the killer had first suffocated Lohia to death and also used a broken ketchup bottle to slit his throat. He later attempted to set ablaze the body of 57-year-old police officer.
Police have so for said that no militant act is apparent. A thorough probe is underway to rule out any possibility. The weapon of offence has been seized, along with some documentary evidence reflecting the suspect’s mental state.
Mobile data services have been temporarily suspended in Jammu and Rajouri districts citing fear of misuse by “anti-national elements, that may cause deterioration in public order.”
Meanwhile, as per media reports
Lashkar-e-Taiba’s Indian offshoot, the People’s Anti-Fascist Force (PAFF), has claimed responsibility for the killing of Jammu and Kashmir DGP (Prisons Department) Hemant Kumar Lohia.
In a press release, the outfit PAFF said, “Our special squad carried out an intelligence based operation in Udaiwala, Jammu, eliminating DG of police, prisons department HK Lohia, a high value target.”
The PAFF has claimed all recent militant attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, including attacks on non-locals. Threatening to carry out more such high-profile operations, the group warned that it can “strike anytime and anywhere with precision”.
“This is a small gift to their visiting Home Minister amid such a security grid,” the PAFF said, referring to Amit Shah who is on a three-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir. (KNT)
