The accused have been identified as Sheikh Irfan Khan (32), Mudassir Ahmad (age 22), Shah Rukh Pathan (25), Abdul Thoufique (24), Shoaib Khan (22) Atib Rashid (22) and Yusufkan Bahadur Khan (44).
The crime branch of Amravati city police arrested Irfan Khan, a local resident, from Nagpur in the evening. He had allegedly hatched the conspiracy to murder Umesh Prahladrao Kolhe (54), who ran a medical shop in Amravati, and roped in others, said city police commissioner Dr Aarti Singh.
Kolhe was stabbed to death around 10.30 pm on June 21 near Ghantaghar in Shyam chowk area of Amravati. Deputy Commissioner of Police Vikram Sali told news hounds that on the face of it, the killing was linked to certain posts that Kolhe had shared in WhatsApp groups, supporting Sharma who has been suspended by the BJP for making controversial comments about Prophet Mohammad.
Sali said some of the accused had watched Kolhe's movements for three days prior to the killing. Police arrested two of the accused on the basis of CCTV footage and also seized the knife used in the crime.
An NIA team visited Amravati on Saturday for probe. Earlier, the Union Home Ministry spokesperson tweeted that the probe has been handed over to the central probe agency. A team of Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of state police from Aurangabad also visited the city, said an official. Kolhe's killing had taken place a week before two men hacked to death a tailor in Rajasthan's Udaipur before posting videos online saying that they were avenging an insult to Islam.
The NIA is also probing the killing of the Udaipur tailor, Kanhaiya Lal. As per the police, Kolhe was stabbed in the neck by the assailants who rode a cycle of violence
when he was returning home on his two-wheeler after closing his medical shop.Chemist murder: Victim's brother breaks his silence over the incident
[OneIndia] The brother of the chemist who was allegedly killed over social media posts in Maharashtra's Amravati city supporting Nupur Sharma said that the deceased had shared some posts on WhatsApp group related to Nupur Sharma, but wondered whether the murder was committed only for forwarding those messages.
The chemist, Umesh Prahladrao Kolhe, was killed on June 21.
"My brother forwarded some messages about Nupur Sharma in some Whatsapp groups but we're not able to understand why was he killed because of 2-4 forwarded messages? He didn't forward them to anyone individually," news agency ANI quoted Mahesh Kolhe as saying.
Explaining the incident, he said, "On June 21 night, while my brother was enroute to his home after shutting his shop, some people attacked him & he was stabbed with a knife. When I reached there, he was already dead: Mahesh Kolhe, brother of Umesh Kolhe who was murdered in Amravati, Maharashtra."
Mahesh Kolhe said that the deceased never mentioned about death threats. "We're yet to ascertain the reasons behind his murder. He never told us about receiving any threats. He forwarded some messages on Nupur Sharma in some Whatsapp groups, but not to anyone individually: Mahesh Kolhe, brother of Umesh Kolhe who was murdered in Amravati," he added.
Meanwhile, the government on Saturday decided to hand over the probe into the killing of the chemist to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), as the case was suspected to be a terror incident after it appeared that the victim was hacked to death for social media posts in support of Nupur Sharma who was suspended from the BJP following her remarks on Prophet Mohammad.
A Home Ministry spokesperson tweeted that the probe of the case relating to the "barbaric killing" of Kolhe has been handed over to the NIA.
The federal probe agency would thoroughly investigate the conspiracy behind the killing and involvement of organisations and international linkages.
Khole's killing had taken place a week before two men hacked to death Kanhaiya Lal, a tailor in Rajasthan's Udaipur, with a cleaver at his shop before posting videos online saying that they were avenging an insult to Islam. That case is also being probed by the NIA.
The Maharashtra Police have so far 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.
According to the police, Kolhe had allegedly shared a post on some WhatsApp groups in support of Nupur Sharma for her comments following which Khan is alleged to have hatched a conspiracy to eliminate him.
The incident occurred between 10 pm and 10.30 pm on June 21 when Kolhe was returning home on a two-wheeler after closing his shop.
A 54-year-old chemist was stabbed to death in Amravati city of Maharashtra, with the police suspecting that the accused committed the offence as the victim had allegedly shared a post on a social messaging platform in support of Nupur Sharma, whose remarks on Prophet Mohammad led to nationwide protests and global condemnation.
The chemist, Umesh Prahladrao Kolhe, was killed on June 21, and five persons have been arrested so far in this connection, an official said.
"Kolhe ran a medical store in Amravati city. He had allegedly shared a post on some WhatsApp groups in support of Nupur Sharma for her comments. He even mistakenly shared the post in a WhatsApp group in which some Muslims were also members, including his customers," an official of the City Kotwali police station said.
Sent it to a Moslem chat group? That'll certainly get an unwelcoming response.
After that, Irfan Khan hatched a conspiracy to eliminate Kolhe and roped in five persons for it. He promised to give Rs 10,000 to them ...that’s less than $130...
and a safe escape in a car, he said.