Jammu, June 9: In surprising turn of events, police Thursday arrested former National Conference legislator Trilochan Singh Wazir, for allegedly hatching conspiracy to kill cement tycoon Rajinder Chopra, alongwith his family in 2006.
Wazir alongwith his brother Ajab Singh and their associate Raju Simblia, were arrested after their name figured in the Chopra murder case during investigations, police sources said.
Pertinently, contractor Choudhary Nagar Singh is already undergoing detention for the past four years in the same case.
The Special Investigation Team, re-constituted to investigate the case, today got the statement of a key witness recorded in the court following which the accused, Wazir, a former NC MLC and his brother were arrested. Wazir’s name figured during investigations following disclosure made before the Chief Judicial Magistrate by Surinder Singh alias Kala, a transporter and one time close associate of Wazir.
SIT led by SDPO Mukesh Kakker alongwith SHO Channi and SHO Trikuta Nagar raided the residence of the accused and arrested them. After their arrest, sources said, the accused were taken to the safe house of SIT in Channi for interrogation to ascertain their involvement in hatching the conspiracy to kill Rajinder Chopra and his family on September 17, 2006.
The accused was allegedly figuring in the list of the accused but police was not able to lay its hands on him due to his strong political affiliation.
In his statement, Kala disclosed that in the month of August 2006, Wazir asked him to meet him at his residence at Gandhi Nagar.
“Next day I went to the house of Wazir where four other persons Ajab Singh, Choudhary Nagar Singh, Sanjay Sharma and Raju Simblia were present,” Kala revealed in his statement.
He added that the persons in the house were discussing about the loading and unloading of cement and Ajab Singh said that Chopra was creating problems for them.
“Wazir and others asked Sanjay Sharma to kill Chopra and his whole family and assured that money is no problem”, the statement reads adding, “Ajab Singh and Nagar Singh said they will spend any amount but their names should not be disclosed anywhere”. According to Kala, he left the house of Wazir and learnt after few days that Chopra, his wife, his daughter and two servants were killed.
The case has taken several turns in the past more than four years. The government had even ordered a CBI probe but the agency expressed its inability to take over the investigation.
The SIT has already produced Challan against some persons, believed to have executed the plan.
Pertinently, on 17 September 2006 murder of the family was so gruesome that it sent shivers through the entire city. Five people were killed after physical torture but still there were no clues left behind.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 9 Jun 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 9 Jun 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 10 Jun 2011 00:00:00 IST