Dakshina Kannada police have arrested one more person in connection with the July 26 murder of BJP Yuva Morcha leader Praveen Nettaru in Bellare. With this, police have arrested seven people in the case.
The Superintendent of Dakshina Kannada Police, Rishikesh Sonawane, said Abdul Kabeer, 33, was arrested from Jattipalla House in Sullia on Tuesday.
“The investigation is in progress. All the assailants have been identified by the police and a search was on for them,” he said. Nettaru was hacked to death by three bike-borne miscreants in Bellare.
HT has reported that the officers in the know of the investigation have confirmed that the teams have received “definitive leads on the motive behind the murder”.
Explaining findings in the case, the officer said the attack was possibly retaliation for the murder of 23-year-old Masood. Masood, a daily-wage earner from Kasaragod in Kerala, who was staying with his grandfather in Bellare, was murdered by a group of men on July 20. Eight men have been arrested in the case so far.
While a direct link has not been established between Masood and Nettaru, police have found a connection between one of the men in custody and Nettaru. One of earlier arrested accused Mohammed Shafiq (27), who was nabbed from Bellare village on July 28, is one of the conspirators in the case, said police.
{{/usCountry}}While a direct link has not been established between Masood and Nettaru, police have found a connection between one of the men in custody and Nettaru. One of earlier arrested accused Mohammed Shafiq (27), who was nabbed from Bellare village on July 28, is one of the conspirators in the case, said police.
{{/usCountry}}“Shafiq’s father Ibrahim used to work for Nettaru at his chicken shop. He worked there for more than a year. However, when coastal Karnataka was rocked by a controversy over halal meat, Nettaru fired Ibrahim from the job,” said the officer.
Nettaru’s murder had triggered massive protests by right wing workers against BJP-ruled government led by chief minister Basavaraj Bommai. The state government handed over the case to the National Investigation Agency.