BENGALURU: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested an absconding accused in the sensational Praveen Nettaru murder case. According to informed sources, the NIA arrested accused absconder Thufail MH - the District Head of Popular Front of India (PFI) ‘Service Team’ (Hit Team) and former PFI district secretary, Kodagu -- from his house in Amruthahalli in Bengaluru on March 4 late evening after setting up a decoy.
The NIA had earlier announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh for information leading to the arrest of Thufail. He was among the 20 accused chargesheeted in the Nettaru case by the NIA in January. Thufail, along with Musthafa Paichar, Masud KA, Kodaje Mohammed Sherif, Abubakkar Siddik and Ummar Farook MR, was absconding.
The accused are members of the banned PFI and had planned and executed Nettaru’s murder to “to create terror, communal hatred and unrest in society and to further its agenda of establishing Islamic rule by 2047”, the NIA had stated in the chargesheet.
According to the NIA, Thufail had “played a significant role in PFI’s larger conspiracy to murder leaders of a particular community. He had also provided shelter and safe harbour to the three assailants in the Nettaru case at Ashiyana Residency of Koppa village, Mysuru district, who had recced and then hacked Nettaru to death.”
Thufail was accused in the Prashanth Poojari murder case registered in Kushalnagar Rural police station and also a case of attempt to murder VHP leader Ganesh.
PFI had formed hit squads: Central agency
NETTARU -- BJP’s Yuva Morcha leader -- was murdered allegedly by PFI embers on July 26 last year in Bellare village in Dakshina Kannada district in full public view. Initially, the Bellare police registered an FIR and were investigating the case, but later the state government handed over the case to NIA.
The Central counter terrorism 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 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. These Service Team members were further trained to kill identified targets, on the instructions of senior PFI leaders,” NIA had stated.
The chargesheet had further stated that PFI leaders and members had held meetings in Bengaluru, Sullia town and Bellare village to avenge the murder of Kalanja Masood. The head of District Service Team, Mustafa Paichar was instructed to recce, identify and target a prominent member of a particular community. The PFI members, as per instructions, recced and identified four persons and among them was Nettaru, the NIA stated.
Kalanja Masood, a 19-yearold boy, was fatally attacked by a gang of eight members on the night of July 19, 2022 in Vishnunagara of Kalanja village. He was a resident of Mogral Puthur in Kasargod. He was shifted to a hospital in Mangaluru, where he later succumbed to his injuries. The accused are: Mahammed Shiyab, Abdul Basheer, Riyaz, Mustafa Paichar, Masud KA, Kod a j e Mo h amme d Sherif, Abubakkar Siddik, Noufal M, Ismail Shafi K, K Mahammad Iqbal, Shaheed M, Mahammad Shafeek G, Ummar Farook MR, Abdul Kabeer CA, Muhammad Ibrahim Sha, Sainul Abid Y, Shekh Saddam Hussain, Zakiar A, N Abdul Haris and Thufail MH.
They have been chargesheeted under Sections 120B, 153A, 302 and 34 of the IPC for criminal conspiracy, promoting enmity between different groups, murder, acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention, Sections 16, 18 and 20 of the UAPA, 1967, and Section 25(1) (a) of the Arms Act.