New Delhi/Mangaluru: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested two key absconders in the 2022 murder case of Karnataka BJP Yuva Morcha leader Praveen Nettaru, allegedly killed by cadres of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI), an official statement said Sunday.
The accused, Abdul Nasir P alias Nasir and Naushad, were held Saturday from Kochi in Kerala and Hosur in Tamil Nadu, respectively, in a meticulous operation carried out across the two states based on credible information from Andhra Pradesh police, it said.
With their arrest, the total number of accused held in the case has risen to 24. Three accused are still absconding.
The NIA had earlier named Abdul Nasir and Naushad in a chargesheet for knowingly and voluntarily harbouring the main assailants involved in the murder of Nettaru, district executive committee member of the BJP Yuva Morcha in Dakshina Kannada District of Karnataka.
Nettaru was hacked to death by two motorcycle-borne assailants in Bellare village, allegedly by PFI cadres.
According to the NIA, a look-out circular (LOC) and an open-dated warrant of arrest had been issued against the two accused by the NIA Special Court in Bengaluru. The agency had also announced a reward of Rs 4 lakh each for information leading to their arrest.
The NIA is continuing with its efforts to track down the remaining absconders, the statement said.