Amravati murder case: NIA offers Rs 2 lakh for information on absconding accused

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has announced a reward of Rs 2 lakh for any information leading to the arrest of accused Shaheem Ahmed Firoz Ahmed wanted in the case of the murder of Amravati pharmacist Umesh Kolhe.

The agency has so far arrested 10 persons allegedly involved in the murder. Kolhe was killed in Amravati, Maharashtra on June 21 after he had shared on social media a post purportedly supporting suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma over her controversial remarks.

Ahmed (22), a resident of Zakir Colony in Amravati city, has been on the run since the case was registered against him in cosnpiracy to murder two months back. "The NIA has declared a cash reward of Rs 2 lakh for any kind of information leading to the arrest of Ahmed," an official said.

Last month, the NIA made the tenth arrest in connection with the case and arrested Shaikh Shakeel (28), a resident of Imam Nagar in Amravati. Shakeel was arrested for his alleged active role in the conspiracy involving the murder of Kolhe.

Apart from Shakeel, the agency had arrested Amravati residents Abdul Arbaz, Maulavi Mushfique Ahmed, Irfan Shaikh, Shoaib Khan, Mudassir Ahmed, Aatif Rashid, Yusuf Khan, Abdul Toufiq and Shahrukh Pathan, all were arrested in the case for their alleged role in the murder of Kohle. The police are further on the lookout for one more suspect Shaheem Ahmed Firoz Ahmed who is absconding.

On June 21, between 10 pm and 10:30 pm, Umesh Kohle 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. The case was initially registered on June 26 at Kotwali police station, Amravati and was later re-registered by NIA on July 2.

The NIA registered the case on July 2 on directions of the Ministry of Home Affairs under Indian Penal Code Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder), 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc) and 153-B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration), and provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.