Two with links to PFI held for BJP worker’s murder: Cops

At least 15 people have been questioned so far in the case and some are still in detention, the SP said.

Two men with suspected links to the Popular Front of India (PFI) have been arrested in connection with the murder of a 32-year-old Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) leader in Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district, police said on Thursday, adding that they were nabbed in Kerala’s Kasargod district.

Yuva Morcha district executive committee member Praveen Nettaru was hacked to death by unidentified bike-borne assailants on Tuesday night (HT Photo)

The arrested accused have been identified as Zakir (29) from Savanuru in Haveri district and Mohammed Shafiq (27) from Bellare village, where the Yuva Morcha district executive committee member Praveen Nettaru was hacked to death by unidentified bike-borne assailants on Tuesday night, said Dakshina Kannada superintendent of police (SP) Rishikesh Sonawane.

At least 15 people have been questioned so far in the case and some are still in detention, the SP said.

“Right now, we are looking into all aspects, we will be looking into involvement of others, motive and other matters,” Sonawane said, adding that arrests have been made based on the evidence available and current investigation.

Nettaru, a resident of Bellare in Dakshina Kannada, was attacked by bike-borne assailants when he was returning home after closing his poultry shop late on Tuesday evening. A case has been registered under section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code. The incident triggered protests in several parts of the district on Wednesday with instances of stone pelting being reported in some areas.

The two accused were detained on Wednesday evening and placed under arrest on Thursday, said additional director general of police (law and order) Alok Kumar. “Both have got suspected links with PFI — that we have to verify. We took them into custody on Wednesday evening and after inquiry we have arrested them. We will produce them before court and ask for police custody and do further investigation,” Kumar said.

The SP said that one of the accused Zakir already has a case registered against him in Bellare police station in 2020 for an offence under Section 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) of the Indian Penal Code.

While the police have not yet confirmed if the two arrested men murdered Praveen or they were part of the conspiracy, officers from the Dakshina Kannada police told HT that the investigators have established a timeline of events in the lead-up to the murder.

Based on the CCTV footage, a copy of which HT has seen, police have identified the two-wheeler with Kerala registration number allegedly used by the assailants for killing Nettaru, a senior officer said.

In the footage, a bike-borne man could be seen waiting on the road before heading towards Nettaru’s shop. The bike, which was parked around 50 metres from the shop, started to move at 8.33 pm and within seven minutes, people were seen running towards the shop, said a senior police officer. “Based on the footage, we believed that the murder took place between 8.37 pm and 8.40 pm,” the officer added, requesting anonymity.

The police chief of Kasaragod, from where the two accused have been arrested, has been asked to form a special investigation team (SIT) to assist the Karnataka Police, the officer said.

“Kerala Police chief has directed the head of the Kasaragod district police, Vaibhav Saxena, to take any necessary action in connection with the investigation,” the officer said. “A list of those with a history of involvement in political conflicts in the district has also been compiled.”

Karnataka home minister Araga Jnanendra said outfits like PFI and its political wing, the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), have been involved in similar activities earlier. “The involvement of PFI and SDPI in the case is also being probed,” he said.

PFI is an Islamic organisation and it has often been accused by the BJP of spreading communal tensions and extremist activities.

Meanwhile, Union minister of state for agriculture and farmers welfare Shobha Karandlaje has written a letter to Union home minister Amit Shah requesting that the probe into Nettaru’s murder be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Karandlaje, the Lok Sabha MP from Udupi-Chikkamagaluru constituency, blamed Muslim fundamentalists and organisations like PFI, SDPI and similar groups for the murder.

Chief minister Basavaraj Bommai, who visited Nettaru’s home on Thursday afternoon, has assured that the culprits involved in the “heinous act” will be punished as per law. “The heinous murder of our party worker Praveen Nettaru is condemnable. Those involved in the heinous act will be arrested soon and will be punished as per law,” Bommai tweeted on Wednesday.