The Delhi Police on Sunday arrested 61-year-old Harmeet Singh in Jammu for allegedly murdering National Conference leader Tarlochan Singh Wazir, PTI reported. The police said that Singh was on the run after shooting Wazir dead on September 3.

Wazir, a former member of the Jammu Kashmir Legislative Council, was found dead in a flat in Delhi’s Moti Nagar area on September 9. The police had recovered his decomposed body after neighbours complained about a stench coming from the house.

“On Sunday, we received information that Harmeet will meet someone near Jammu border as he was searching for a new hideout,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav said. “Our team then laid a trap and the accused was nabbed.”

The police recovered a sophisticated pistol with a live round from Singh. He is the third person to be arrested in connection with the case, according to PTI.

Rajender Chaudhary alias Raju Ganja (33) and Balbir Singh alias Billa (67) were arrested on September 16 after they were spotted in CCTV camera footage from around the crime spot.

The fourth accused, 31-year-old Harpreet Singh, is still absconding. Harpreet Singh was an acquaintance of Wazir and he instigated Harmeet Singh to kill the National Conference leader, according to the police.

Why Harmeet Singh allegedly killed Wazir?

According to statements given by Harmeet Singh in preliminary interrogation, his differences with Wazir date back three years, Yadav said, reported the Hindustan Times. Harmeet Singh said that he had been removed from the post of an officer bearer at a local gurudwara committee in Jammu.

On August 22, Harmeet Singh came to Delhi to get his son’s visa. He was staying at Harpreet Singh’s flat, the officer said.

Meanwhile, a few days later, Wazir told Harpreet Singh that he too was coming to Delhi for boarding a flight to Canada on September 3. Wazir also wanted to stay at Harpreet Singh’s flat.

Harpreet Singh then asked Harmeet Singh to shift to a nearby hotel due to the earlier feud.

However, on September 3, Harpreet Singh instigated Harmeet Singh saying that Wazir wanted to kill his (Harmeet’s) son and escape to Canada, the police said, according to the Hindustan Times. Harpreet Singh claimed to have heard about Wazir’s purported plan from Chaudhary, the other accused.

“Both left the hotel room and reached the [Harpreet’s] flat, where Harmeet hid inside a room,” Yadav said. “The other accused [Chaudhary] also arrived there. Wazir was sleeping when Harpreet gave Harmeet a pistol, and the latter shot him in the head. Thereafter, they locked the flat and fled.”

The police also said that the murder was being planned since the last two or three months, according to the Greater Kashmir.

Harpreet Singh had allegedly called Chaudhary on August 14, assuring him of a job of a taxi driver in Delhi. Chaudhary was involved in the crime as he drove three accused on September 3 to the flat where Wazir was murdered.

They had initially planned to dump the body at a metro station or the Indira Gandhi International Airport, but could not succeed.