BJPYM Praveen was third, last in assailants’ hit list

The Bellare police have booked the accused under Sections 16, 18 of UA(P) Act 1967 and sections 302, 120B r/w 34 of the IPC.
Representational Image. (File | EPS)
Representational Image. (File | EPS)

MANGALURU: The Dakshina Kannada police on Tuesday claimed to have solved the murder of BJP Yuva Morcha worker Praveen Nettaru with the arrest of two more people. SP Rishikesh Sonawane identified the accused as Saddam (32) and Haris (42), both residents of Pallimajalu near Bellare. With this, the total number of arrests in the case has gone up to four. The other two, Shafiq and Zakir, were arrested on July 28. The SP said that a few more will be arrested in the case soon. “The investigating team has identified the suspected conspirators and assailants in the case. They are absconding and the search is on to nab them,” he said.

The Bellare police have booked the accused under Sections 16, 18 of UA(P) Act 1967 and sections 302, 120B r/w 34 of the IPC. The SP said the strict UAPA was invoked as the murder was intended to create fear among people. Given the timing of the crime and the residence of the accused, the police strongly feel that Praveen’s murder was retaliation for B Masood’s murder on July 19. A source said the accused have links with a fanatic organisation that is feared for its targeted political murders in Kerala and elsewhere.

Saddam, who was arrested on Tuesday, runs a chicken shop. He along with two others, who are yet to be arrested, hatched the conspiracy to eliminate Praveen. They had set their target on three people, and Praveen was the third in their list. The first one was not available alone and the second had not returned to the village after he had gone out. Hence, Praveen who was shuttling between his house and the chicken shop became their easy and soft target. The accused followed Praveen for three to four days and also did a recce of the crime spot. Sources said the accused were a tough nut to crack and had carried out the crime meticulously. “They had formatted their mobile phones, dumped them at their homes after switching them off and vanished from the region. They had left very few clues and we had to go for the bottom-up approach.” said an officer.

Several constraints led to the delay in cracking the case and helped the accused escape, police sources said. “We lost crucial three days after the incident due to drama played out at the hospital, then at the funeral and due to the CM’s visit,” said a senior official.

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