New Delhi, Mar 5 (IANS): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a wanted criminal, who was carrying a reward of Rs five lakh on his head in connection with the murder of Karnataka BJP Yuva Morcha leader Praveen Nettaru.
According to information, the arrest was made Saturday night in Bengaluru. The accused was identified as Taufil. The agency has not commented on the matter as of now.
Nettaru was allegedly killed by the members of the now banned PFI.
In January, the NIA charge-sheeted 20 accused in the matter before a Special NIA court in Bengaluru.
Nettaru was murdered by PFI members on July 26 last year in Bellare village in Karnataka's Dakshina Kannada district, "with the intention to strike terror in the society and create fear among the people," the agencies had said.
Bellare Police lodged a case and was looking into the matter but later on the Union Ministry of Home Affairs handed over the NIA.
"Investigations revealed that the PFI, as part of its agenda to create terror, communal hatred and unrest in society and to further its agenda of establishing Islamic rule by 2047, 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," the NIA has said.
The charge sheet says that meetings of the PFI members and leaders were held at Bengaluru city, Sullia Town and Bellare village. 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 Praveen Nettaru. They killed him in full public view with lethal weapons to create terror among the people at large and especially among the members of a particular community.
The accused Mahammed Shiyab, Abdul Basheer, Riyaz, Mustafa Paichar, Masud K.A., Kodaje Mohammed Sherif, Abubakkar Siddik, Noufal M., Ismail Shafi K., K. Mahammad Iqbal, Shaheed M., Mahammad Shafeek G., Ummar Farook M.R., Abdul Kabeer C.A., Muhammad Ibrahim Sha, Sainul Abid Y., Shekh Saddam Hussain, Zakiar A., N. Abdul Haris and Thufail M.H. have been charge-sheeted under sections of 120B, 153A, 302 and 34 of IPC and sections 16, 18 and 20 of the UA (P) Act, 1967, Section 25(1)(a) of the Arms Act.
Among the charge-sheeted accused, Mustafa Paichar, Masud K.A., Kodaje Mohammed Sherif, Abubakkar Siddik, Ummar Farook M.R. and Thufail M.H. are currently absconding and rewards have been declared for information leading to their arrest.
Further investigations in the matter is on.