Top Prison Officer Killed in Kashmir, Main Suspect Held After Night-Long Manhunt

Indian-administered Kashmir has witnessed an insurgency which has lasted since 1989, with the government blaming Islamabad for backing the insurgents who have carried out high-profile killings in the past.

Police on Tuesday arrested the main suspect in the murder case of Jammu and Kashmir's Director General (Prisons) Hemant K. Lohia, who was found dead at his residence in Jammu city late Monday night.

The suspect, identified as Yasir Ahmed, a resident of Jammu's Ramban area who worked as domestic help in Lohia's house, allegedly suffocated the officer before slitting his throat with a broken ketchup glass bottle, police said.

The news comes at a time when federal Home Minister Amit Shah is undertaking an official visit to Jammu and Kashmir, sending a wave of caution within the security grid of the region.

Hours after the murder, an unverified statement began circulating on social media purportedly released by a militant group called the People's Anti-Fascist Force (PAFF), which claimed responsibility for the killing.

While a police officer told Sputnik that it was too early to establish a militancy-related link in the murder, a statement by the Jammu police said that “so far, no terror act is apparent as per the initial investigation, but a thorough probe is on to rule out any possibility.”

The initial probe revealed that Ahmed, who was employed at the house for nearly six months, was “quite aggressive in his behavior” and allegedly suffered depression, as some documentary evidence “reflecting his mental state” was seized by police.

A senior police officer requesting anonymity said that it was unlikely that the accused had established militant links: “If there is a militant link to the killing, the death is one of the most high-profile assassinations of such a senior level officer to have taken place in Kashmir region.”

Director General of police (Jammu and Kashmir) Dilbag Singh told reporters in Jammu that the police are "ruling out the militant angle for now."