Shop owner in Amravati likely killed for post supporting Nupur Sharma

Initial investigation by the City Kotwali Police Station in Amravati following a complaint by Umesh Kohle’s son Sanket Kohle led them to arrest two persons Muddsir Ahemad, 22, and Shahrukh Pathan, 25, on June 23. Their interrogation revealed the involvement of four more persons, of which three — Abdul Thoufik, 24, Shoaib Khan, 22, and Atib Rashid, 22 — were arrested on June 25. One Shamim Ahmed Firoz Ahmed is absconding.

The incident took place between 10 pm to 10.30 pm on June 21 when Umesh Kolhe was on his way home after closing his shop ‘Amit Medical Store’. Sanket, 27, and his wife Vaishnavi were accompanying him on another scooter.

In his complaint, Sanket told the police, “We were moving from Prabhat Chowk and our scooters had reached the Mahila College New High School’s gate. Two men on a motorcycle suddenly came in front of my father’s scooter. They stopped my father’s bike and one of them stabbed him on the left side of his neck with a knife. My father fell and was bleeding. I stopped my scooter and started shouting for help. Another man came and the three fled the spot on the motorcycle.”

With help from people around, Kolhe was rushed to a nearby Axon Hospital where he died during treatment.

A senior police officer from Amravati city police said, “The five accused arrested so far have told us they sought the help of another accused who provided them with a car and Rs 10,000 to run away.”

The officer said one of the absconding accused had assigned the other five specific tasks for the murder. He had asked two of them to keep an eye on Kolhe and alert the other three when he left the medical store. The other three obstructed Kolhe and assaulted him. An FIR was registered by the City Kotwali police station following Saket’s complaint.

“During investigation we learnt that Kolhe had circulated a social media post supporting Nupur Sharma on WhatsApp. By mistake, he posted the message on a group with Muslim members who were also his customers. One of the arrested accused said this was an insult to the Prophet and hence he must die,” a source said.

The police have seized the knife with which the murder was committed, mobile phones, vehicle and clothes used for the crime, and obtained the CCTV footages from the scene of crime. “We have sent the seized electronic devices to DFSL, and scrutiny of technical evidence is in progress. The bank accounts of all arrested accused and their family members were obtained and scrutiny is in progress,” the source said.

When asked if his father’s murder could have been due to the social media post, Sanket told The Indian Express, “My father was a very cheerful person. He never spoke ill about anyone nor was he associated with any political party. I also heard that he was murdered over his social media post, but I checked his Facebook profile and did not find anything objectionable. Only the police can tell what the motive was. I am blank. But I can say for sure that he was not murdered for robbery.”

When contacted, Amravati City Police Commissioner Arti Singh told The Indian Express, “Five persons have been arrested in the case and we are looking for the remaining whose arrest will give us clarity on the motive behind the murder.”