NIA arrests 10th accused in Amravati killing case

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The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has detained the 10th accused in the killing of Umesh Kolhe, Maharashtra’s Amravati-based pharmacist. The accused, Shaikh Shakeel, 28, was arrested on Thursday.

According to the NIA, Shakeel performed an “active role” in the murder conspiracy and resides in the Sarkar Palace area in Amravati. Maharashtra Police initially registered the case on June 22 and the NIA re-registered the case on July 2 under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, and sections 16, 18, and 20 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

According to NIA FIR, the killing of Kolhe was an act of a “larger conspiracy by a group of persons” who planned to strike terror amongst the people with a motive to promote enmity on the grounds of religion. Kolhe was killed on June 21 after he posted in support of former Bharatiya Janata Party leader Nupur Sharma on Facebook.

A case has been registered on the complaint of the deceased’s son Umesh Kolhe. According to the FIR, on June 22, the City Kotwali Police Station in Maharashtra’s Amravati got information about the brutal killing of Kolhe with a knife and filed a complaint against three unidentified accused people.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah directed NIA on July 1 to take over the case. Investigators claimed that Kolhe was killed allegedly because of his social media post supporting BJP’s Nupur Sharma. The brutal murder took place a week before Kanhaiyalal Teli was hacked to death in Rajasthan’s Udaipur district.

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