Delhi police detained a Jammu man in connection with the murder of senior National Conference leader Tarlochan Singh Wazir, who was found dead in a rented west Delhi apartment six days ago, two police officers familiar with the development said.

Described by the police as a driver, as no senior police officer, authorised to issue press statements, agreed to come on record to confirm the development.

Wazir’s decomposed body was found in the washroom of a flat in west Delhi’s Basai Darapur near Moti Nagar on Thursday morning.

The 67-year-old former member of the Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) legislative council reached Delhi on September 1 and was scheduled to leave for Canada on September 3. But he went missing on September 2. When his family in Jammu could not contact him, they got in touch with the police in Jammu who requested their counterparts in the national capital to check on him.

Two men, Harpreet Singh and his associate Harmeet Singh, who had gone missing after Wazir’s body was found, were key suspects in the case, police said. The flat where Wazir was found dead belongs to Harpreet Singh, two police officers said on conditions of anonymity, as they are not authorised to speak to the media.

The two officers said the driver detained by the police was close to Harpreet Singh, considered by the police to be the prime suspect in the case.

The driver was detained by the west district police that was initially investigating the case. Since the investigation into the high-profile case was transferred to the crime branch, a police officer said, his custody will be given to the crime branch team.

According to the officer cited above, the detained person was possibly involved in the murder conspiracy and may have been present in the flat on the day Wazir was murdered.

“We are trying to ascertain his exact role in the crime. His interrogation may lead to the arrest of the two absconding suspects,” the officer said.

The Delhi Police were requested by Jammu police to visit the Moti Nagar flat on September 9 as Wazir was not answering calls from his family.

Police said Wazir’s family members had earlier contacted Harpreet Singh but were allegedly told that Wazir had already reached Frankfurt and was in quarantine for 14 days.

The family members, however, found the claim suspicious and informed the Jammu police, who in turn passed on the information to Delhi police. Police broke open the door and found Wazir’s decomposed body inside Harpreet’s house. Investigations revealed that Wazir and Harpreet were known to each other for the last few years.

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