The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday carried out searches at multiple locations in Amravati district of eastern Maharashtra in connection with the sensational murder of a chemist Umesh Prahladrao Kolhe over a WhatsApp message posted by him in support of suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.
In an official statement, the NIA said that it had conducted searches at 13 locations in Amravati district after it took over the investigations from the Amravati police and re-registered a case on July 2, 2022 in connection with the murder that took place on the night of June 21.
“During the searches conducted today at the premises of accused and suspects, digital devices (mobile phones, SIM cards, memory cards, DVRs), pamphlets spreading hate messages, knives and other incriminating documents and materials, have been seized,” the NIA said. In all, seven persons, including the master-mind Sheikh Irfan, have been arrested in connection with Kolhe’s murder. The six other accused in the case are: Mudassir Ahmed (22), Shahrukh Pathan (25), Abdul Taufiq (24), Shoib Khan (22), Atib Rashid (22) and Yusuf Bahadur Khan. All of them are in NIA’s custody now. The NIA has booked the seven accused in the case under Section 16, 18 and 20 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and Section 34, 153 (A), 153 (B), 120 (B) and 302 IPC has been filed based on a complaint by Kolhe’s son Sanket Kolhe.
The incident took place between 10 pm and 10.30 pm on June 21 when Kolhe was on his way home after closing his shop -- Amit Medical Store’. Sanket (27) and his wife Vaishnavi were accompanying him on another scooter.
Two motorcycle-borne assailants waylaid Kolhe. One of them stabbed him on the left side of his neck. In his complaint, Sanket told the police:“We were moving from Prabhat Chowk and our scooters had reached the Mahila College New High School’s gate. Two men on a motorcycle suddenly came in front of my father’s scooter and stopped him. One of them stabbed him on the left side of his neck with a knife.
“My father fell and was bleeding. I stopped my scooter and started shouting for help. Another man came and the three fled the spot on the motorcycle.With help from passers-by, I rushed my father to nearby Axon Hospital where he died during treatment,” Sanket said.
The investigations have revealed that Kolhe had circulated on WhatsApp a post supporting BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, Police Vikram Sali said that prima facie Umesh Kolhe’s murder was an off-shoot of a social media post supporting Nupur Sharma, who had made controversial comments on the Prophet in a television debate.
Kolhe inadvertently posted the message in a whatsapp group where there are Muslims who were also his customers. One of the arrested accused reportedly said that Kolhe’s post was an insult to the Prophet and hence he must die.