NIA team visits Amravati in Maharashtra to probe killing of chemist

A team of the anti-terror probe agency NIA on Saturday visited Maharashtra's Amravati to probe the killing of a chemist, officials said, after it emerged the crime might be linked to his social media posts supporting BJP leader Nupur Sharma who was suspended from party for her remarks on Prophet Mohammad.

The chemist, Umesh Prahladrao Kolhe, was killed on June 21, a week before the killing of a tailor in Rajasthan's Udaipur by two men who claimed they were avenging an insult to Islam.

A Home Ministry spokesperson tweeted that the probe of the case relating to the "barbaric killing" of Kolhe has been handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

The federal probe agency would thoroughly investigate the conspiracy behind the killing and involvement of organisations and international linkages, the spokesperson said.

An NIA team has reached Amravati, said a senior police official in Mumbai.

The NIA is also probing the killing of the Udaipur tailor, Kanhaiya Lal.

Days before his killing, the Udaipur tailor had told the local police that he had received threats over a social media post shared from his account, apparently supporting BJP leader Sharma's remarks on Prophet Mohammad.

The Maharashtra Police have arrested five people in connection with the Amravati killing and are looking for one Irfan Khan, who runs an NGO and is alleged to be the prime accused in the case.

Kolhe was killed between 10 pm and 10.30 pm on June 21 when he was returning home on a two-wheeler after closing his shop.

"Kolhe ran a medical store. He had allegedly shared a post on some WhatsApp groups in support of Nupur Sharma for her comments (against Prophet Mohammad)," an official of the City Kotwali police station said.

Khan allegedly hatched a conspiracy to kill Kolhe and roped in five others, promising to pay them Rs 10,000 and safe escape in a car after the killing, he said.

Police arrested Muddsir Ahemad (22), Shahrukh Pathan (25), Abdul Thoufique (24) Shoaib Khan (22) and Atib Rashid (22), all residents of Amravati and daily wage workers.

They also seized the knife used in the crime and obtained CCTV footage that captured the sequence of events.

The BJP on June 5 suspended its national spokesperson Nupur Sharma and expelled Delhi BJP media head Navin Jindal after their alleged derogatory remarks against Prophet Mohammad led to outrage in India and also in some Muslim countries.