NIA searches houses of 3 absconding suspects in BJP worker's murder case in Karnataka

New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency has conducted searches at the houses of three absconding suspects in a case related to the killing of BJP Yuva Morcha member Praveen Nettaru by members of the banned Popular Front of India in Karnataka last year, an official said on Wednesday.

Three locations were searched in two districts of Karnataka as part of the NIA's efforts to hunt down the absconders, a spokesperson of the federal agency said.

The official said several electronic gadgets and documents were seized during the searches at the houses of Abdul Nasir and Abdul Rahaman in Kodagu district and Naushad in Dakshina Kannada district.

"All three are suspected of harbouring the main assailants of Nettaru at various hideouts across Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Besides the trio, five other accused are still absconding in the case which NIA took over in August 2022," the spokesperson said.

A total of 21 people, including the absconders, have been chargesheeted by the NIA under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act.

Nettaru was hacked to death on July 26, 2022, in Bellare village of Sullia Taluk in the Dakshina Kannada district allegedly by PFI 'Killer Squads' or 'Service Teams'.

"PFI has been indulging in such targeted hate killings to drive a communal wedge and spread communal hatred with its ultimate objective of establishing an Islamic Rule in India by 2047," the spokesperson said.

The NIA said efforts to track down the absconding accused are continuing.