The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Islamist Riyaz Yousaf Haaralli, also known as Riyaz, on June 4 from Mumbai airport on Tuesday while he was attempting to flee the country. Based on Suvarna News reports, this arrest marks the 19th individual taken into custody in connection with the murder of Praveen Nettaru.
Riyaz’s capture follows the recent arrest of another fugitive, Mustafa Paichar, along with his accomplice, Mansoor Pasha, less than a month ago. Islamist Riyaz had returned to India under the instructions of Abdul Rahman, another absconding suspect. Together with Mansoor Pasha, Riyaz provided logistical support and a safe haven for Mustafa Paichar in Sakleshpura, Hassan District, Karnataka.
Praveen Nettaru, a BJP Yuva Morcha district executive committee member, was brutally murdered on the night of July 26, 2022, by two motorcycle-borne assailants in Bellare village, Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka. The attack, carried out by cadres of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI), was intended to instill fear within a segment of society, according to NIA investigations.
Islamist Mustafa Paichar, the secretary of PFI Puttur district and the head of the Puttur district service team, was identified as the chief conspirator in the murder. He orchestrated the attack and subsequently went into hiding along with other suspects. Islamist Paichar was eventually apprehended by the NIA on May 10, 2024, in Sakleshpura, along with Islmist Mansoor Pasha.
The NIA, which took over the investigation on August 4, 2022, has filed a charge sheet against 21 individuals to date. The agency continues its efforts to locate and arrest the remaining fugitives. In the aftermath of the July 26 incident, several individuals were arrested, and the NIA issued a lookout notice for Mustafa, offering a reward of five lakh rupees for information leading to his capture. The ongoing investigation aims to ensure that all perpetrators are brought to justice.
The investigation into the murder of Praveen Nettaru has uncovered connections to the Popular Front of India (PFI), an extremist organization with purported involvement in orchestrating the assassination. According to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the PFI is accused of orchestrating the creation of covert “secret killer squads” as part of a broader agenda to establish Islamic rule by 2047. These clandestine radical Islamic groups, reportedly armed and trained in surveillance tactics, were allegedly tasked with identifying, recruiting, and monitoring leaders associated with specific communities and organizations. The NIA’s inquiry reveals a meticulously planned scheme aimed at inciting fear and communal discord within the Hindu community, highlighting the alleged extremist tendencies of those implicated in the crime. Incidents of targeted violence against Hindus are on the rise, with the PFI emerging as a significant supporter of Islamist terrorism in Bharat, posing a substantial threat to the Hindu community.
