The accused used a broken ketchup bottle to slit Lohia's throat
A senior police officer in Jammu and Kashmir was found dead at home late last night, with his throat slit and burn injuries on his body.
His domestic help, the prime suspect in the case, has been taken into custody, police say.
Hemant Kumar Lohia, the officer in charge of prisons in Jammu and Kashmir, was murdered at a friend's house on the outskirts of Jammu, where he had been staying with his family while his own home was being renovated.
Mr Lohia, 57, was appointed Director General of Prisons (J&K) in August.
Based on early investigations and security footage, the police are focusing on his 23-year-old domestic help, Yasir Ahmed, hired six months ago.
Police say their investigations till now do not point at any terror link.
Yasir was on the run after the murder. He was taken into custody today after a massive man-hunt was launched by the police.
Police had also released Ahmed's photo to the public for help to track him down. The murder surfaced on a day Union Home Minister Amit Shah began a three-day visit to the Union Territory.
Yasir Ahmed had been suffering from severe depression, senior Jammu police officer Mukesh Singh said.
The weapon - allegedly a broken ketchup bottle - and evidence like a diary have been seized from the house.
Mr Lohia was "applying oil on his swollen foot" when he was attacked, Mr Singh said. The killer suffocated Mr Lohia, used the broken ketchup bottle to slit his throat and tried to set the body on fire, according to him.
"The security guards broke into Mr Lohia's room after they saw flames. The room was locked from inside," said Mr Singh.
CCTV footage shows the suspect running away.
"He (Ahmed) had been working at this house for nearly six months. Initial investigations reveal he was quite aggressive and was also suffering from depression as per sources," Mr Singh said.
"Police have also seized some documentary evidence, including his diary, reflecting his mental state."
What appears to be Ahmed's diary reveals a depressed mind fixated on death. "Dear death, come into my life," says a note. "I'm sorry I am having bad day, week, month, year, life," says another.
The diary has songs in Hindi, one of which is titled, "Bhula dena mujhe (Forget me)". Other pages are filled with short sentences and notes - "I hate my life", "Life is just grief..." - and one has a chart that starts with a drawing of a phone battery labelled "My Life 1%". "Love 0%, Tension 90%, Sad 99%, Fake Smile 100%," it reads.