Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said the murder of a 54-year-old chemist in Amravati was a "very serious incident". He added that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) was trying to find out if there were any international connections to the incident.
"Amravati incident very serious, killing is barbaric. Accused, mastermind nabbed. NIA investigating it, finding if there is some international connection. This was initially portrayed as theft, that too will be investigated," said Fadnavis.
Meanwhile, a district court in Amravati has sent the key accused and the mastermind in the murder case to police custody till July 7.
The accused, identified as Irfan Sheikh, was arrested by Amravati police in Nagpur on Sunday.
He is the seventh accused to be arrested in the case.
The number of arrests may increase, said a police official on Sunday.
"He (mastermind) was arrested last night. He's being interrogated. They have a helpline group-Rehbar group. Several people connected to them. 7 accused have been arrested so far. The number of arrests may rise after the arrest of the main accused," said Nilima Araj, Police Inspector when asked about the mastermind of Amravati murder.
Investigators so far believe that the chemist 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 television debate.
(With ANI inputs)
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