The National Investigation Agency (NIA) claimed on wednesday that it had undertaken thorough searches at the homes of three missing suspects in the case of the murder of BJP Yuva Morcha member Praveen Nettaru by Popular Front of India (PFI) militants in Karnataka last year.
On tuesday, three locations in two districts of Karnataka were searched as part of the NIA’s efforts to apprehend the fugitives. The NIA seized several electronic gadgets and documents during the searches at the houses of Abdul Nasir and Abdul Rahaman in Kodagu district and Naushad in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka.
All three are suspected of harbouring the main assailants of Parveen Nettaru at various hideouts across Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, said the NIA.
Besides the trio, five other accused are still absconding in the case, which NIA had taken over in August last year.
A total of 21 persons, including the absconders, have so far been chargesheeted by the NIA under various sections of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Indian Penal Code and Arms Act in the case that is linked to the killing of Nettaru. Nettaru was hacked to death on July 26, 2022, in Bellare village of Sullia Taluk at Dakshina Kannada district by PFI ‘Killer Squads’ or ‘Service Teams’. The PFI, which was banned by the Central government in September of last year, has been engaging in such targeted ‘hate killings’ with the goal of driving a communal schism and propagating communal animosity, with the ultimate goal of establishing Islamic rule in India by 2047. “Efforts to track down the absconding accused are continuing,” said the NIA.