MANGALURU: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday arrested the absconding main accused - Mustafa Paichar - in the Praveen Nettaru murder case. Nettaru was hacked to death by two bike-borne attackers on July 26, 2022, in Bellare village of Sullia taluk, Dakshina Kannada district, in broad daylight.
The killers were allegedly cadres of the Popular Front of India (PFI), which was banned in September, 2022 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
The NIA had identified Paichar and another absconding accused - Kodaje Mohammed Sherif, in the sensational murder case as “leaders of the now defunct service teams (of PFI) who were tasked with identifying key targets.”
NIA had declared a reward of Rs 5 lakh to catch Paichar. He was arrested at Sakleshpur in Hassan district by the NIA team led by Inspector Shanmugam.
On March 4, 2023, the NIA had arrested Thufail MH - the district head of PFI’s service team and former PFI district secretary, Kodagu, from his house in Amruthahalli in Bengaluru in the Nettaru murder case.
With Paichar’s arrest, NIA is looking for Sherif Masud KA, Abubakkar Siddik and Ummar Farook MR who are absconding.
The NIA had filed a chargesheet against 20 people in the Nettaru murder case in January 2023 in which it had stated that Nettaru was killed with sharp weapons as part of the PFI's agenda to create fear among members of one community and create communal hatred and unrest in society. Paichar was reportedly instructed to recce, identify and target a prominent member of a particular community, the NIA had stated.
The agency had stated in the chargesheet that the PFI, to further its agenda of establishing Islamic rule by 2047, had formed secret teams called ‘Service Teams or Killer Squads’ to carry out killings of its ‘perceived enemies’ and targets. “These Service Team members were given arms as well as attack training, and training in surveillance techniques in order to identify, list out and to mount surveillance on leaders belonging to certain communities and groups,” NIA had stated.
The chargesheet had further mentioned that PFI leaders and members had held meetings in Bengaluru, Sullia town and Bellare village to avenge
the murder of Kalanja Masood. The PFI members, as per instructions, recced and identified four persons and among them was Nettaru.