J&K DGP’s murder: Police arrest domestic help, say he is the main accused

Lohia was found dead on Monday night barely a few hours after Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Jammu for a three-day visit to the Union Territory. The J&K Police said that initial investigations do not indicate a ‘terror’ angle.

“In the initial investigation…it has come to fore that one domestic helper Yasir Ahmad, resident of Ramban, is the main accused,” the police said in a statement. “Some CCTV footage collected from the incident site also shows the suspected accused running away after commission of this crime,” the statement added.

Shri Hemant Lohia was an outstanding Police officer and a great human being. He served the country with great honour & dedication. Shocked and deeply grieved at his sad demise. My condolences to the bereaved family and friends.

— Office of LG J&K (@OfficeOfLGJandK) October 4, 2022

The police had shared photos of the domestic help and sought help from people in tracing him.

The police also said that they do not see any militancy angle in the murder so far. “So far, no terror act is apparent as per initial investigation but thorough probe is on to rule out any possibility,” the statement said. “The weapon of offence has been seized besides some documentary evidence reflecting his (domestic help’s) mental state,” it added.

Police said that Yasir was working as a domestic help for nearly six months now. “Initial investigation reveals that he was quite aggressive in his behaviour and was also under depression as per sources,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, People Against Fascist Forces (PAFF), which the police say is a front of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), claimed responsibility for the murder in a statement that is yet to be authenticated. In a viral social media statement, PAFF said its “special squad carried out an intelligence based operation in Udaiwala Jammu eliminating DG of Police, Prisons department H K Lohia, a high value target”.