NEW DELHI: The anti-terror federal probe agency National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday arrested an absconding state executive member of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) from Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport here in connection with BJP’s youth leader Praveen Nettaru’s murder case, officials said.
Identifying the arrested absconding accused in the case as Kodaje Mohammed Sherif, against whom there was a lookout circular, the officials said, he was picked up on arrival from Bahrain at the New Delhi’s IGI Airport.
BJP Yuva Morcha member Praveen Nettaru was murdered by PFI cadres and members on July 22, 2022 at Bellare village of Sullia Taluk in Dakshina Kannada District in Karnataka.
The National Investigation Agency, which took over the investigation on August 4, 2022, has so far arrested 20 individuals and filed charge sheets naming 23 accused including three absconded.
The officials said the NIA in its investigations in the case has found that Kodaje Mohammed Sherif was the PFI State Executive committee member and head of the banned outfit’s Service team. Kodaje, along with co-accused, was involved in imparting arms training to the Service team members in the Freedom Community Hall, Mittur.
Kodaje was also responsible for conveying the instructions for targeted killing after discussion at the state executive committee of PFI, the officials said, adding that it was on these instructions that accused Mustafa Paichar and his team had brutally hacked Praveen Nettaru to death.
The officials said the investigation also revealed that the conspiracy was hatched to spread terror and communal hatred and unrest in the society, as the NIA probe is continuing to unfold the complete conspiracy by arresting the rest of the absconding accused in the case.