NIA arrests two more accused in Praveen Nettaru murder, BJP asks who shielded them in Kerala
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested two more accused who had been absconding in connection with the 2022 murder of BJP Yuva Morcha leader Praveen Nettaru, taking the total number of arrests in the case to 24.The arrested men have been identified as Abdul Nasir P. and Naushad. Abdul Nasir was taken into custody in Kochi, while Naushad was arrested from Hosur in Tamil Nadu during a coordinated operation carried out on Saturday based on inputs received from the Andhra Pradesh Police, the agency said.According to the NIA, both had already been named in the chargesheet and were booked under provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The agency alleged that they had sheltered the main accused involved in the killing of Nettaru, who was a district executive committee member of the BJP Yuva Morcha in Dakshina Kannada.The NIA said lookout circulars and open-dated arrest warrants had been issued against the two by the NIA Special Court in Bengaluru after they went into hiding. A reward of Rs 4 lakh had also been announced for information leading to the arrest of each accused.Following Abdul Nasir's arrest in Kochi, BJP workers staged a small protest in Ernakulam demanding action against those who had allegedly provided shelter to him.Kerala BJP president and Nemom MLA Rajeev Chandrasekhar also reacted to the development in a post on X. Referring to Abdul Nasir's arrest, he wrote: "How could a NIA-wanted fugitive live in the heart of Kochi for years without being detected? Who gave him shelter? Who protected him? Is it believable that the State Home Department and Keralam Police had no knowledge of his presence?"In the same post, Rajeev alleged that the CPM and the Congress had pursued "appeasement politics" at the cost of national security and claimed that both parties had enabled extremist networks to function in the state. The parties have not responded to the allegations.The NIA said three accused in the case remain absconding, while efforts are continuing to trace them. It added that rewards have been announced against six accused who are yet to be apprehended.The agency, which took over the investigation from the Karnataka Police in August 2022, said its probe found that the Popular Front of India (PFI) had formed covert groups known as "PFI Service Teams", allegedly trained in surveillance and the use of weapons to carry out targeted killings, including that of Nettaru.Investigators have also alleged that Nettaru was killed in retaliation for the death of a Muslim youth in a road rage incident.Earlier, the NIA had filed a 1,500-page chargesheet before the NIA Special Court in Bengaluru against 20 accused, supported by statements from 240 witnesses. Praveen Nettaru was hacked to death by two motorcycle-borne assailants at Bellare village in Dakshina Kannada district in July 2022.
THE National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested two more accused who had been absconding in connection with the 2022 murder of BJP Yuva Morcha leader Praveen Nettaru, taking the total number of arrests in the case to 24.
The arrested men have been identified as Abdul Nasir P. and Naushad.
Abdul Nasir was taken into custody in Kochi, while Naushad was arrested from Hosur in Tamil Nadu during a coordinated operation carried out on Saturday based on inputs received from the Andhra Pradesh Police, the agency said.
According to the NIA, both had already been named in the chargesheet and were booked under provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
The agency alleged that they had sheltered the main accused involved in the killing of Nettaru, who was a district executive committee member of the BJP Yuva Morcha in Dakshina Kannada.
The NIA said lookout circulars and open-dated arrest warrants had been issued against the two by the NIA Special Court in Bengaluru after they went into hiding.
A reward of Rs 4 lakh had also been announced for information leading to the arrest of each accused.
Following Abdul Nasir's arrest in Kochi, BJP workers staged a small protest in Ernakulam demanding action against those who had allegedly provided shelter to him.
Kerala BJP president and Nemom MLA Rajeev Chandrasekhar also reacted to the development in a post on X. Referring to Abdul Nasir's arrest, he wrote: "How could a NIA-wanted fugitive live in the heart of Kochi for years without being detected? Who gave him shelter? Who protected him? Is it believable that the State Home Department and Keralam Police had no knowledge of his presence?"
In the same post, Rajeev alleged that the CPM and the Congress had pursued "appeasement politics" at the cost of national security and claimed that both parties had enabled extremist networks to function in the state. The parties have not responded to the allegations.
The NIA said three accused in the case remain absconding, while efforts are continuing to trace them. It added that rewards have been announced against six accused who are yet to be apprehended.
The agency, which took over the investigation from the Karnataka Police in August 2022, said its probe found that the Popular Front of India (PFI) had formed covert groups known as "PFI Service Teams", allegedly trained in surveillance and the use of weapons to carry out targeted killings, including that of Nettaru.
Investigators have also alleged that Nettaru was killed in retaliation for the death of a Muslim youth in a road rage incident.
Earlier, the NIA had filed a 1,500-page chargesheet before the NIA Special Court in Bengaluru against 20 accused, supported by statements from 240 witnesses. Praveen Nettaru was hacked to death by two motorcycle-borne assailants at Bellare village in Dakshina Kannada district in July 2022.
