Udaipur murder: NIA team rushes to Rajasthan, to treat the killing as 'terror' incident

Jaipur, Jun 28: A team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been rushed to Rajasthan's Udaipur after a man was beheaded by two men in broad daylight on Tuesday.

As per the PTI sources, the Centre is treating the Udaipur incident as a terror attack and has dispatched a probe team that included officials of the anti-terror agency, NIA as initial information suggested that the assailants could have had links with the ISIS, officials said.

The officials said the probe team would thoroughly investigate the case and carry out a background check of the two accused arrested. "Prima-facie it seems to be a terror case and needs a thorough investigation which includes browsing through their social media profiles," a senior official said on condition of anonymity told the news agency.

The case is likely to be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for probe after registration of a case under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.

As per ANI sources, the NIA team includes a Deputy Inspector General (DIG)-rank officer. The move comes following an order issued from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). As per government sources, the NIA team is likely to file a case under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act after visiting the crime spot.

The deceased, identified as Kanhaiya Lal, was beheaded by two men in Udaipur's Maldas street area in Rajasthan for reportedly sharing a social media post in support of Nupur Sharma, who created controversy over comments on Prophet Mohammed.

The two accused reached the victim's shop on Tuesday afternoon under Dhan Mandi police station area, they said. One of the assailants, who was identified as Riyaz, attacked Kanhaiya Lal with a sharp-edged weapon while the other recorded the crime on his mobile phone, police said.

As the tailor took the measurements of one of them -- who later identified himself as Riaz - attacked him with a cleaver. The other man shot the brutal murder with his mobile phone. The two men fled from the scene after the daylight murder, and later uploaded the clip on social media.

In another video, the alleged assailant admitted that they "beheaded" the tailor and threatened the prime minister for lighting "this fire". As the videos circulated on social media, tension escalated.

Meanwhile, the two accused (Rafiq Mohammed and Abdul Jabbar) have been arrested for murdering the tailor. "Both the accused of murder of a man in Udaipur have been arrested from Rajsamand. The investigation in this case will be done under the Case Officer Scheme and by ensuring the speedy investigation the criminals will be punished severely in the court," Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said.

The internet services have been suspended for the next 24 hours and Section 144 has been imposed in the region, the officials said. PTI