The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested a key accused in the BJP worker Praveen Nettaru murder case from Hassan on Friday. The agency arrested Mustafa Paichar from Anemahal village, Hassan district, and also Mansoor Pasha, who was harbouring him.
“It was on his [Mustafa Paichar] instructions that the hit service team had hacked Praveen to death with sharp weapons in a public place,” the NIA claimed.
Reward announced
The agency had announced a reward of ₹7 lakh against him. Multiple non-bailable warrants were also pending against him. He is the second absconding accused to be arrested in the case. The NIA, in January 2023, filed a chargesheet against 21 accused, eight of whom had absconded after the crime, the agency said.
Praveen, BJP Yuva Morcha district executive committee member in Dakshina Kannada, was hacked to death by two motorcycle-borne assailants at Bellare village in Dakshina Kannada in July 2022. The NIA took over the probe in August 2022. The murder was carried out by cadres of the now-proscribed Popular Front of India (PFI), the NIA has claimed.
“The NIA probe has revealed that Mustafa Paichar, a resident of Sullia in Dakshina Kannada, was the secretary of the 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,” the 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 to death with sharp weapons in a public place. The attack was aimed at striking terror among a section of people in society, the NIA probe has shown,” the agency said in a statement.
