1 week ago
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The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested a key accused in the BJP worker Praveen Nettaru murder case from Hassan on Friday. The agency arrested the absconding accused Mustafa Paichar from Anemahal village, Hassan district, and also arrested Mansoor Pasha, who was harbouring him.
“It was on his [Mustafa Paichar] instructions that the hit service team had hacked Praveen Nettaru to death with sharp weapons in a public place,” NIA claimed.
Reward announced
The Agency had announced a reward of ₹7 Lakh against him and had multiple non-bailable warrants pending against him. He is the second absconding accused to be arrested in the case. NIA had, in January 2023, filed a charge sheet against 21 accused, eight of whom had absconded after the crime, NIA said.
Praveen Nettaru, BJP Yuva Morcha district executive committee member in Dakshina Kannada, was hacked to death by two motorcycle-borne assailants in Bellare village, Dakshina Kannada in July 2022. NIA took over the probe in August 2022. The murder was carried out by the now-proscribed Popular Front of India (PFI) cadres, NIA has claimed.
“NIA investigations have revealed that Mustafa Paichar, a resident of Sullia in Dakshina Kannada, was the secretary of PFI Puttur district service team. He was involved in imparting arms training to PFI cadres in the Freedom community hall in the area to prepare them for commission of terrorist attacks,” NIA claimed.
‘Striking terror’
“Along with other accused, he was part of a larger conspiracy to target and kill Hindu leaders. He had, in fact, formed a hit service team of PFI cadres for the purpose. It was on his instructions that the hit service team had hacked Praveen Nettaru to death with sharp weapons in a public place. The attack was aimed at striking terror among a section of people in the society, NIA investigations have shown,” NIA said in a statement.
