NIA yet to formally take over probe into killing of Amravati chemist: Police

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is yet to formally take over the probe into the killing of a chemist in Maharashtra's Amravati, a top police official here said on Sunday.

Talking to PTI, Dr Aarti Singh, the Commissioner of Police of Amravati city in eastern Maharashtra, said, "We have not yet received any orders about the the transfer the case to the NIA. By Monday, we will receive the orders, after which we would formally hand over the case to the central agency as the procedural formalities take some time."

Her statement comes a day after an NIA team visited Amravati for the probe into the case.

On Saturday, the Union Home Ministry spokesperson had tweeted that the investigation has been handed over to the central agency.

The 54-year-old chemist, Umesh Prahladrao Kolhe, was killed on June 21 and the police had earlier said that on the face of it, his killing was linked to certain posts that he had shared in WhatsApp groups, supporting Nupur Sharma who has been suspended by the BJP for making controversial comments about Prophet Mohammed.

Kolhe was stabbed in the neck around 10.30 pm on June 21 after which he died. The crime branch of Amravati city police arrested Irfan Khan (32), the alleged mastermind of the killing, from Nagpur on Saturday. This was the seventh arrest in the case.

A court here on Sunday remanded Khan in police custody till July 7. A team of the NIA on Sunday morning interrogated Khan at the City Kotwali police station, before he was taken to the Amravati district and sessions court amid tight security.