Investigators on Friday arrested two more persons in connection with the execution-style killing of Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur on Tuesday. Rajasthan Police arrested Mohasin and Asif from the lake city, who the investigators alleged were part of the conspiracy and preparation for the crime. Mohsin and Asif have been sent to 14-day judicial custody by the local court.
Meanwhile, a Udaipur court handed the case over to National Investigation Agency (NIA). The Central counter-terrorism agency would on Saturday seek
transit remand of the main accused Riyaz Akhtari and Ghaus Mohammad from the NIA Special Court in Jaipur. The Udaipur District Sessions Court had on Thursday remanded Riyaz and Ghause to judicial custody and are currently lodged in a high-security jail in Ajmer.
Police said, Riyaz Akhtari had paid extra money to get “2611” for his motocycle’s registration number. This was a possible reference to the date of 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. “The bike used by the accused was purchased in 2013 and a demand draft of Rs 1,000 in the name of Mohammad Riaz was submitted to the RTO, to get the number 2611 of this vehicle,” said Prabhu Lal Bamnia, a Udaipur Regional Transport Office (RTO) official. Akhtari, one of the accused, used the bike to escape with the other accused after the crime.
The bike has been seized by the police and is currently lying in the Dhan Mandi police station in Udaipur, the RTO official informed.
The ghastly 26/11 Mumbai attacks, which began on November 26, 2008, lasted for four days, leading to the death of 166 people and injuring over 300. 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists came to Mumbai via sea route from Pakistan and carried out a series of coordinated shooting and bombing attacks across the city on November 26, 2011. In these gruesome attacks, 9 terrorists were killed and the lone survivor, Ajmal Amir Kasab, was caught and was sentenced to death at Yerwada Central Jail in Pune in 2012.
In the video of the Udaipur beheading incident which went viral on social media, the assailants identified themselves in the video as Riyaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad. Riyaz was seen attacking 47-year-old Kanhaiya Lal with a sharp-edged weapon while the other, Ghouse, recorded the crime on his mobile phone.
The victim, Kanhaiya Lal, reportedly had recently shared a social media post in support of Nupur Sharma– former BJP leader who had made controversial remarks against Prophet Muhammad.
Earlier in the day, Gujarat Police lodged an FIR after Surat activist Yuvaraj Pokhrana received threats on Instagram for condemning Lal’s beheading in Udaipur in an article published in an English newspaper and a news portal. Pokhrana originally belongs to Udaipur. After the publication of the article, extremists active on social media threatened him with beheading in a similar manner. Surat Police have extended security to him and his family members after he approached the Police Commissioner for protection. Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi also took cognizance of the threats and has directed police authorities to be vigilant.
Rajyavardhan Singh Parmar, President of Mahrana Pratap Sena and a Delhi resident, has also received similar threats on phone. Parmar has lodged a complaint with Parliament Street Police Station.