New Delhi/Madikeri: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) carried out searches at 16 locations across Karnataka, including Kodagu, on Thursday, 5 December, as part of its ongoing investigation into the 2022 murder of BJP Yuva Morcha leader Praveen Nettaru.
Nettaru, a district executive committee member of the BJP Yuva Morcha, was brutally killed by two assailants on motorcycles in Bellare village, Dakshina Kannada district, in July 2022. According to officials, the attackers were allegedly associated with the banned outfit Popular Front of India (PFI).
The NIA assumed investigation for the case on 4 August 2022 and has made progress, arresting 19 individuals and filing charges against 21 accused. However, efforts are ongoing to apprehend those still at large.
In a chargesheet filed on 20 January this year, the NIA detailed how the PFI had formed clandestine "hit squads," referred to as "service teams" or "killer squads," to target their so-called enemies.
Further investigations uncovered the involvement of Thufail M H, a Kodagu district resident and a key figure in the PFI’s operations. Thufail, identified as a "PFI Master Trainer," was responsible for training members in advanced techniques, including arms handling, in Dakshina Kannada. He reportedly sheltered Nettaru’s three killers in Karnataka’s Kodagu and Mysuru districts, as well as in Tamil Nadu’s Erode district.
The NIA also revealed that Mahammad Jabir, a primary accused, served as the PFI Puttur district president. Jabir allegedly played a pivotal role in the conspiracy to kill Nettaru and incited violence through provocative speeches, vowing to avenge the murder of another individual, Masood.
In June, the NIA arrested another key suspect, Riyaz Yousaf Haaralli, at Mumbai airport as he attempted to flee the country.
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