Cousin among three arrested in National Conference leader Trilochan Wazir’s murder case

The accused were identified as Sardar Jagpal Singh, 51, Harjinder Singh Raina, 71, and Sudershan Singh Wazir, 67, all residents of Jammu

Three men, including the cousin of former member of the Jammu and Kashmir legislative council and National Conference leader Trilochan Singh Wazir, were arrested in connection with politician’s killing in 2021, police said on Wednesday.

Wazir was found dead in a flat in Basai Darapur on March 9, 2021. His body was found lying in a decomposed state in the washroom of the locked flat with a gunshot wound on his head. It was Khalsa who had rented the flat and was hosting Wazir on the pretext of helping him obtain visa and air tickets to Canada, where his family was living. (ANI file)

The accused were identified as Sardar Jagpal Singh, 51, Harjinder Singh Raina, 71, and Sudershan Singh Wazir, 67, all residents of Jammu, they said.

According to police, the motive behind the killing was a mixture of personal enmity, and political and financial gains.

At the time of incident, police had on the basis of CCTV footage arrested three people -- Rajender Chaudhary, Balbir Singh, and Harmeet Singh, all residents of Jammu, they said.

Another accused, Harpreet Singh Khalsa, was later arrested, police said.

Wazir was found dead in a flat in Basai Darapur on March 9, 2021. His body was found lying in a decomposed state in the washroom of the locked flat with a gunshot wound on his head. It was Khalsa who had rented the flat and was hosting Wazir on the pretext of helping him obtain visa and air tickets to Canada, where his family was living.

Initially, the motive for the murder was conjectured to be an extortion bid. However, it was later found that Wazir’s family received no ransom call, a senior police officer said.

The latest arrests came at the instance of Khalsa, who revealed their names to police in interrogation, said Ravindra Singh Yadav, special commissioner of police (crime branch).

The officer said that Sudershan Singh Wazir, a businessman in Jammu and the victim’s cousin, had a rivalry with Trilochan Singh Wazir and Nagar Singh, another businessman in Jammu.

Nagar Singh’s son had murdered the nephew of Sudershan, an accused in the case. Both Trilochan Singh and Nagar Singh were also arrested in the high-profile 2006 Chopra murder case in Jammu, he said.

“In 2018, Trilochan Singh and Nagar were planning to murder Sudershan in Delhi. This came to the knowledge of Sudershan through Harmeet Singh and Harpreet Singh.

“In retaliation, accused Sudershan, Harjinder Singh Raina and Jagpal Singh succeeded in conspiring to murder Trilochan Singh Wazir in Delhi with the help of accused Harpreet, Harmeet, Rajender Chaudhary and Balbir,” he added.