Before Kanhaiya Lal's Beheading, A Maharashtra Shop Owner May Have Been Killed For Same Reason
Umesh Kolhe a Chemist from Amravati district of Maharashtra was killed on June 21 a week before the beheading of Kanhaiya Lal. The 54-year-old Kolhe was killed by assailants who slit his throat with a sharp weapon. Police arrested a total of five people identified as Mudassir Ahamad Shahrukh Pathan Abdul Taufiq Sheikh Shoeb Khan and Ateeq Rashid. The mastermind behind the attack is still said to be on the run.
Following the beheading of Kanhaiya Lal, a tailor from Udaipur this week, allegedly for supporting suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, another murder that happened in Maharashtra earlier has come under the spotlight.
Umesh Kolhe a Chemist from Amravati district of Maharashtra was killed on June 21, a week before the beheading of Kanhaiya Lal.
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Attacker's targeted his neck
Similar to the Udaipur beheading, 54-year-old Kolhe was killed by assailants who slit his throat with a sharp weapon.
Kolhe who used to run a drugs and medical equipment shop was returning home on June 21 night on his scooter when he was attacked by the assailants who were also travelling on a two-wheeler.
His son Sanket and his wife were also closely following Kohle on another bike when the attack happened.
Before they could do anything the two assailants, who were joined by one more person fled the scene.
Kohle who was stabbed on the left side of his neck was rushed to a nearby hospital where he died during treatment.
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Robbery attempt, not really
Initially, it was believed to be a robbery attempt that went wrong.
However, during the investigation, it was found that the victim was carrying Rs 35,000 in his bag, which was left untouched by the attackers.
Based on the complaint by the victim's son police arrested a total of five people identified as Mudassir Ahamad, Shahrukh Pathan, Abdul Taufiq Sheikh, Shoeb Khan and Ateeq Rashid in connection with the murder on June 23.
Umesh Kolhe, a Medical professional in #amaravati , Maharashtra was beheaded on June 21 night allegedly for sharing a social media post in support of #NupurSharama.
¡ª Organiser Weekly (@eOrganiser) June 28, 2022
Abdul (24), Shoaib Khan(22), Mudassir Ahmed Sheikh Ibrahim (22) & Shah Rukh Pathan Hidayat Khan (24) are arrested pic.twitter.com/f9sRQbJ3ci
The mastermind behind the attack is still said to be on the run.
Nupur Sharma link
While Police have not revealed the reason behind the murder, some local BJP leaders have claimed that the incident has links to the Nupur Sharma controversy.
According to Maharashtra BJP spokesperson Shivrai Kulkarni, Kolhe had shared some posts on Facebook and WhatsApp supporting Nupur Sharma following her controversial comments against Prophet Muhamad during a TV debate.
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¡°Since the police has Kolhe¡¯s phone, it should probed whether he was getting death threats over posts supporting Nupur Sharma,¡± Kulkarni said.
He also pointed out that the arrested men had no major criminal history before this and added that the murder was carried out professionally using a 5-inch Chinese knife.
Amravati police said they are probing all angles behind the murder of Kolhe. The Police Commissioner said the motive for the murder is yet to be ascertained and the probe is underway in the case.
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Bobins Abraham is the Assistant News Editor at Indiatimes. He has more than twelve years of experience in TV and digital journalism. An avid student of history and geopolitics, he is a conservationist and environmentalist at heart. He writes on environment, sustainability, human-animal conflict and more.
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