Amravati chemist's murder | NIA takes custody of all accused
The Hindu
Police are on the lookout for one more suspect Shamim Ahmed in connection with the case.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken over custody of all the seven accused in the murder of Amravati-based chemist Umesh Kolhe, a police official said on Tuesday.
The NIA took custody of all the accused, who were granted four days’ transit remand on Monday after they were produced before the Amravati court, he said.
Umesh was allegedly attacked with a knife by a group of three men between 10 pm and 10:30 pm on June 21. He died during treatment at hospital.
The incident occurred 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.
According to City Kotwalli police, 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.
The accused are likely to be produced before the NIA's Mumbai court on or before July 8, the official added.
Amravati police had found inks between social media posts supporting former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma and Umesh's murder during the investigation and didn't suppress the case as was alleged, police commissioner Arti Singh said on Monday.
Around 440 MBBS graduates of 2021 are not required to undergo one year of compulsory rural service as per the bond signed by them while joining the medical course through government-quota seats in 2015 as the High Court of Karnataka has said the law, enacted in 2012 for mandatory rural service, remained unenforced for 10 years as it was published in the official gazette only in July 2022.