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Nettaru murder case: Hall belonging to the PFI seized, says NIA
“NIA attaches Mittur community hall/Freedom community hall situated in Idkidu village of Dakshina Kannada district after the agency during the probe found that the said premise is being used to impart arms training to members of PFI,” the agency said.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) seized a community hall in Bantwal taluk of Dakshina Kannada district belonging to the banned outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) in connection with the murder of BJP Yuva Morcha activist Praveen Nettaru on Thursday, the agency said.
According to the NIA, Mittur Freedom Community Hall in Idukki village was used to impart arms training to members of PFI.
“NIA attaches Mittur community hall/Freedom community hall situated in Idkidu village of Dakshina Kannada district after the agency during the probe found that the said premise is being used to impart arms training to members of PFI,” the agency said.
An order has been issued to Dakshina Kannada district commissioner Kuldeep Jainand district superintendent of police Amathe Vikram. The owner of the community hall has also been directed not to rent out the hall to anyone, the agency said, adding that it has also prohibited the movement of any articles or carrying out any work in the hall.
The NIA is probing the murder of Nettaru, who was hacked to death by bike-borne assailants in front of his broiler shop in Bellare in Dakshina Kannada in July last year.
In January, the NIA filed a charge sheet against 20 accused and said they had links with PFI. It alleged that the accused formed “secret teams” to carry out killings of its perceived enemies and targets.
“Investigations revealed that the PFI, as part of its agenda to create terror, communal hatred and unrest in the 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,” the NIA has said in its release.
The NIA has booked the 20 accused under sections 120B, 153A, 302 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), sections 16, 18 and 20 of the UA(P) Act, 1967 and 25(1)(a) of the Arms Act.
Among the accused, Mustafa Paichar, Masud KA, Kodaje Mohammed Sherif, Abubakkar Siddik, Ummar Farook MR and Thufail MH are currently absconding, and rewards have been declared for information leading to their arrest, the charge sheet said.
(With inputs from agencies)
