Amravati: 10th arrest made by NIA in Umesh Kolhe murder case

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has made the tenth arrest in connection with the murder of Amravati-based chemist Umesh Kolhe, agency officials informed on Friday. The agency officials claimed that the accused was part of the murder conspiracy.

The arrested person has been identified as Shaikh Shakeel (28), a resident of Imam Nagar, Near Electricity DP, Near Sarkar Palace, Lalkhadi, Amravati.

According to the NIA officials, on Thursday, Shakeel was arrested for his role in the conspiracy involving the murder of Umesh Pralhadrao Kolhe in Amravati (Maharashtra). Shaikh Shakeel had played an active role in the conspiracy.

Earlier this month, the NIA arrested Amravati residents Abdul Arbaz and Maulavi Mushfique Ahmed in connection with the Kolhe murder case.

The case was initially registered on June 26 at Kotwali police station, Amravati and was later re-registered by NIA on July 02.

Earlier, seven accused persons - Irfan Shaikh, Shoaib Khan, Mudassir Ahmed, Aatif Rashid, Yusuf Khan, Abdul Toufiq and Shahrukh Pathan were arrested in the case for their alleged role in the murder.

Abdul Arbaz and Maulavi Mushfique Ahmed are criminal associates of earlier arrested accused persons, NIA officials claimed.

The agency is on the lookout for one more suspect Shamim Ahmed Firoj Ahmed in the case.

On June 21, between 10 pm and 10:30 pm, Umesh was allegedly attacked with a knife by a group of three men. He later died during treatment at the hospital. A probe had revealed that the crime had been committed in retaliation to his post on social media in support of Nupur Sharma.

Published on: Friday, August 12, 2022, 09:32 PM IST