Mohammad Ghouse Nayazi, who had been on the run since the tragic killing of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Rudresh R in Bengaluru in 2016, has been apprehended and extradited to India from South Africa, law enforcement officials confirmed on Saturday.
Nayazi, identified as an active member of the proscribed extremist group Popular Front of India, stands accused of orchestrating the murder of RSS leader Rudresh R in Bangalore back in 2016.
The late Rudresh R, aged 35, held the position of Mandal president at the Shivajinagar shakha of the RSS and served as the secretary of the BJP Shivajinagar.
Following the heinous incident, Nayazi fled the country and sought refuge in various foreign locations. Law enforcement agencies had announced a reward of Rs five lakh for any information leading to his capture.
Sources revealed that the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) was the first to track Nayazi's whereabouts, prompting the activation of alert systems by central agencies.
In response to the alert, a team from the National Investigative Agency (NIA) succeeded in apprehending Nayazi and repatriating him to India.
The arrest of Nayazi marks a significant breakthrough, as authorities anticipate that interrogation could yield crucial insights into the operations of the PFI network in Karnataka and beyond.
In a related development last year, the NIA arrested another individual associated with the PFI in connection with the murder of RSS leader SK Srinivasan in Kerala.
