Maharashtra: Exactly a week before tailor Kanhaiya Lal was hacked to death in Udaipur, Umesh Prahladrao Kolhe, a 54-year-old chemist, was killed in Maharashtra's Amravati district on June 21.
As per media reports, investigators now believe Kolhe was killed allegedly in retaliation for a social media post supporting BJP's Nupur Sharma who had made controversial comments on the Prophet in a TV debate.
The preliminary investigation into the murder by Amravati's City Kotwali Police Station following a complaint by Umesh Kolhe's son Sanket led to the arrest of five persons — Muddsir Ahmed (22), Shahrukh Pathan (25), Abdul Thoufik (24), Shoaib Khan (22) and Atib Rashid (22). One hamim Ahmed Firoz Ahmed is absconding.
As per an official of the City Kotwali police station, Kolhe who ran a medical store in Amravati city 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.
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra ATS team is in Amravati to investigate the matter. ATS sources said that they are investigating whether there is any terror angle in the case. The ATS is also investigating whether the same pattern was used by the Amravati accused as the Udaipur accused.
The incident occurred between 10 pm and 10.30 pm on June 21, when Kolhe was going home on a two-wheeler after closing his shop, he said, adding that his son Sanket (27) and wife Vaishnavi were accompanying him in a different vehicle.
"When all of them reached near Mahila College's gate, two motorcycle-borne men came from behind and blocked Kolhe's path. A youth alighted from the motorcycle and stabbed Kolhe on his neck with a sharp weapon and escaped from the spot. Kolhe collapsed on the road in a pool of blood. Sanket rushed him to a hospital, where he died," the official said.
The police seized the knife used in the crime and obtained the CCTV footage that captured the sequence of events.