Bombay:
The murder of a pharmacist in Maharashtra’s Amravati for allegedly supporting Nupur Sharma has “international repercussions,” the National Investigation Agency (NIA) told a court here on Friday.
The court extended the NIA detention of the seven suspects arrested in the case until July 22.
Umesh Kolhe, who ran a medical shop, was murdered on the night of June 21 in the city of Amravati in eastern Maharashtra. Police claimed he was killed for sharing a post supporting the controversial comments of suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma about the prophet Mohammed.
The horrific incident preceded the similar murder of a tailor in Udaipur.
The NIA, which has taken over the investigation from the Amravati police, brought the accused before the special court for NIA cases on Friday after their initial detention ended.
The agency sought their detention for another eight days.
The case was very serious and had “both national and international repercussions,” it said, adding that the motive behind the murder was to terrorize a section of society.
The suspect had entered into a conspiracy and another suspect was on the run, the NIA said.
The accused were arrested to be taken to Rajasthan for further investigation, the court told the court, without mentioning the incident in Udaipur.
It had obtained records of international calls received by three of the accused, the agency said, while denying defense lawyers’ allegations that Kolhe’s murder was the result of an argument between the friends.
Defense attorney Sharif Shaikh opposed the extension of the pre-trial detention, stating that there were no convincing grounds. Kolhe’s murder took place before the incident in Udaipur, and the central agency tried to paint it a different color, he claimed.
Lawyer Ali Kaashif Khan, who represented another suspect, said it was not a suitable case for the purposes of the Prevention of Wrongful Activities Act.
After hearing the pleadings, the court extended the suspect’s detention.
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