The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday apprehended another suspect in connection with the murder of BJP worker Praveen Nettaru, which occurred in Karnataka in July 2022. The suspect, Riyaz Yousaf Haaralli, was detained at Mumbai airport while attempting to flee the country. This latest arrest raises the total number of detained suspects in the case to 19.
Riyaz's capture follows the recent arrests of two other suspects, Mustafa Paichar and Mansoor Pasha, within the past month. Praveen Nettaru, a member of the BJP Yuva Morcha district executive committee, was brutally attacked and killed by two assailants on motorcycles in Bellare village, Dakshina Kannada district. The attackers were allegedly affiliated with the banned group Popular Front of India (PFI).
According to the NIA's investigation, Riyaz returned to India on the orders of the absconding accused Abdul Rahman. Alongside Mansoor Pasha, Riyaz provided logistical support and a safe haven for Mustafa Paichar in Sakleshpura, Hassan District. Paichar, who served as the PFI Puttur district secretary and head of the Puttur district service team, was the chief conspirator behind Nettaru's murder.
Paichar assembled the hit team that targeted Nettaru and went into hiding after the crime. The NIA eventually tracked him down and arrested him in Sakleshpura on May 10, along with Mansoor Pasha. The NIA took over the investigation on August 4, 2022, and has since charged 21 individuals. The agency continues its search for other suspects who remain at large.
