Umesh Kolhe's murder for robbery? Intel probes why Rs 35000 were left intact

The Intelligence agencies feel that Kolhe's murder is very similar to the one that took place in Udaipur and there is a need to study the pattern of radicalisation

New Delhi, July 02: The horror killing of a Hindu tailor in Udaipur earlier this week has led the Intelligence agencies to probe other incidents that involved the killing of Hindus in other parts of the country.

In this context the focus of the Intelligence Bureau is on the murder of Umesh Kolhe, a pharmacist in Maharashtra's Amaravati. The local police had said that robbery was the motive behind the incident, but a closer look at the case suggests otherwise.

The murder committed by five Muslim men was just days after Kolhe expressed support to suspended BJP spokesperson, Nupur Sharma whose comments on Prophet Mohammad had led to widespread violence in many parts of the country.

So far the police have arrested Mudassar Ahmad, Abdul Taufiq, Shoeb Khan Ateeq Rashid and Sharukh Pathan for the murder. However a search is still on for the sixth person who is said to be the mastermind of the murder.

Investigators have prima facie learnt that Kolhe may have been murdered because of his support to Sharma. However the theory that the local police had given out that the murder may have been due to a robbery attempt falls flat as the Rs 35,000 in cash that Kolhe was carrying remained untouched.

An Intelligence Bureau official tells OneIndia that the murder was very similar to the one we witnessed in Udaipur. Kolhe was returning from his medical store on a scooter when he was stopped by three men who slit his throat. His family who was family him on another bike was unable to save him and Kolhe died on the spot.

An initial examination of the mobile phones of the accused persons suggests that they have may have been radicalised.

Once the agencies prepare a report after a thorough study of the case, there is a chance that the National Investigation Agency may be roped in. The NIA is likely to study all such cases which look like hate crimes and understand the pattern. The agency would also check if these are organised crimes being committed across the country or are these persons acting on their own.

In the Udaipur case it was found that the two Muslim men, Riyaz Attari and Ghouse Mohammad had links with the Dawat-e-Islami a Pakistan based group. Its supporters have been involved in several incidents of knife attacks in different parts of the world.

The eyes of the Intelligence agencies fell on the Kolhe case after learning about the manner it was executed and its similarities with the killing of Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur. The police claimed to have cracked the case and said that it was a robbery. The police said that the accused persons were studying his movement for the entire day. In the evening while he was returning, they stopped him and tried to rob him. Kolhe however tried to put up a fight and also raised an alarm. The accused persons killed him and fled the spot.

BJP spokesperson Shivaray Kulkarni met with the Amaravati Commissioner of Police Aarti Singh and sought a clarification on the motive behind the murder of 54 year old Kolhe.