NC leader Trilochan Wazir found dead in west Delhi flat, police lodge murder case

Former Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council member and National Conference leader Trilochan Singh Wazir was found dead in a flat in West Delhis Moti Nagar on Thursday morning, police said. The highly 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.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council member 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 has been 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 highly 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, a native of Jammu, at their rented flat in the Basai Darapur area. Both Harpreet and Harmeet are absconding and multiple teams have been formed to trace them. Harpreet's mobile phone was found to be switched off, but they are trying to analyse the call detail records of both the suspects even as 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. Blood samples were also collected from the spot along with an identity card of an individual, he said. 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 foul smell from the flat in Moti Nagar. On reaching the spot, police broke open the door and found a highly 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 officer said the victim came to Delhi on September 2 and was supposed to take a flight to Canada the same evening to meet his family. ''We got information from the Jammu Police about the possibility of the victim's body here. His family got worried when he did not reach Canada. So, they contacted Harpreet to know about Wazir's whereabouts. But Harpreet told his family that he was quarantined in Frankfurt for 72 hours. When he still did not reach Canada, they the Jammu Police,'' Goel said. The exact nature of injuries on the body will be ascertained only after postmortem, for which a board of doctors has been constituted, the officer said. 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. According to a neighbour, Harpreet came here around five-six months ago and rented a flat on the third floor of the building. He was last seen on Sunday. He took all his things, including furniture, in a truck, the neighbhour said. ''We got to know about the incident when police came here around 7.30 am today. Wazir came here seven to eight days ago. Police said that the body was recovered from the washroom and the air conditioner of a room was found to be switched on. We heard that his family lives in Canada and he was also slated to go there,'' the neighbour who did not wished to be named said. Harpreet had rented the flat on the third floor of the building a few months ago and told his neighbours that he was preparing for Tehsildar and judiciary exams, according to police.

Delhi Police Public Relations Officer Chinmoy Biswal said the case has been transferred to the Crime Branch and the Special Cell will assist them in the probe. 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 TS 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.