Two men were “on standby” to kill Udaipur tailor Kanhaiya Lal had Riaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad failed to kill him, investigators said Saturday.

A special court in Jaipur gave custody of all four men to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) till July 12 as part of the probe. As the NIA was waiting for a van outside the Jaipur court, a mob attacked them.

Kanhaiya Lal, 48, was murdered on June 28 by two men — Riaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad — over social media posts supporting the now-suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma, who had made comments against Prophet Mohammed.

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The two accused filmed the act and later posted a video bragging about the killing, saying they avenged “an insult to Islam.” In the video, the two also threatened Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Hours after the murder, the two accused were arrested. The two others, who were kept on “standby” were arrested Thursday night. The NIA identified the other two suspects by their first names – Mohsin and Asif.

Mohsin and Asif not only were the standby killers, but also helped Akhtari and Mohammed escape the scene, said the NIA. A scooter belonging to one of the killers was found parked in Udaipur, which became a key link in the investigation.

Meanwhile, the NIA is also investigating the killing of a chemist in Amravati. The killing in the district in Maharashtra took place a week before Lal’s beheading in Udaipur.

 The 54-year-old Umesh Prahladrao Kolhe was stabbed to death for allegedly sharing a post on a social messaging platform in support of Nupur Sharma, whose remarks on Prophet Mohammad led to nationwide protests and global condemnation.

“Five persons have been arrested in connection with the murder of the chemist and a search is on to trace the prime accused Irfan Khan (32), who runs a NGO,” Amravati commissioner of police Dr Aarti Singh said on Saturday.

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“Kolhe ran a medical store in Amravati city. He had allegedly shared a post on some WhatsApp groups in support of Nupur Sharma for her comments. He even mistakenly shared the post in a WhatsApp group in which some Muslims were also members, including his customers,” an official of the City Kotwali police station said.