Amravati: Umesh forwarded messages on Nupur Sharma in WhatsApp groups, says victim's brother

Mahesh Kolhe, the brother of chemist who was murdered in Amaravati, said the deceased - Umesh Kolhe forwarded some messages on Nupur Sharma in some Whatsapp groups, but not to anyone individually.

Giving details of the incident that took place on night of June 21, Mahesh said, "while my brother was enroute to his home after shutting his shop, some people attacked him and he was stabbed with a knife."

"When I reached there, he was already dead," Kolhe added.

He further said, "We're yet to ascertain the reasons behind his murder. Umesh never told us about receiving any threats," and added that Umesh never told us about receiving any threats.

"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 was quoted as saying by ANI.

What happened in Amravati?

The chemist, Umesh Prahladrao Kolhe, was killed on June 21. 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.

Days before his killing, the Udaipur tailor had told the local police that he had received threats over a social media post shared from his account, apparently "supporting" BJP leader Sharma's remarks on Prophet Mohammad.

The Maharashtra Police have 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, following which Khan is alleged to have hatched a conspiracy to eliminate him.

Kolhe was killed between 10 pm and 10.30 pm on June 21 when he was returning home on a two-wheeler after closing his shop.

Case handed over to NIA:

A Home Ministry spokesperson tweeted that the probe of the case relating to the "barbaric killing" of Kolhe has been handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

The federal probe agency would thoroughly investigate the conspiracy behind the killing and involvement of organisations and international linkages.