Nearly two years after the tragic murder of Karnataka BJP Yuva Morcha member Praveen Nettaru, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) made a significant breakthrough by apprehending the main accused, Mustafa Paichar, in Sakleshpura. Nettaru was brutally hacked to death by two assailants on July 26, 2022, in Bellare village of Dakshina Kannada district, allegedly at the hands of Popular Front of India (PFI) cadres. The PFI was subsequently banned in September of the same year.
Initially investigated by the Bellare police station, the case was later transferred to the NIA. The agency, after thorough investigations, filed a chargesheet against 20 individuals in January the following year. According to the NIA's findings, Nettaru's murder was part of the PFI's larger agenda to instill fear within a particular community and sow communal discord in society by resorting to violence.
The NIA's probe also uncovered the PFI's clandestine operations, including the formation of "secret killer squads" tasked with advancing their goal of establishing Islamic rule by 2047. These individuals were provided with weapons and trained in surveillance techniques to target and monitor leaders affiliated with specific communities and organizations.
In efforts to bring all perpetrators to justice, the NIA announced cash rewards last year for information leading to the arrest of three suspects connected to the case. These suspects, identified as Naushad, Abdul Nasir, and Abdul Rahaman, were alleged members of the Popular Front of India. The agency had offered a reward of Rs 2 lakh for any information that could assist in locating them.
