The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has charged two more individuals in connection with the murder of BJP Yuva Morcha member Praveen Nettaru, allegedly carried out by the Popular Front of India (PFI) in Karnataka last year. The two accused, Thufail MH and Mahammad Jabir, have been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA), bringing the total number of accused to 21. Thufail MH was arrested by the NIA in Bengaluru after being on the run for a period of time.
NIA had previously filed charges against 19 individuals in January 2023, revealing that the Popular Front of India (PFI) had formed secret hit squads known as Service Teams or Killer Squads to carry out killings of its perceived enemies and targets. According to NIA investigations, Thufail MH is alleged to have harboured the three assailants of Praveen Nettaru in different districts of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
On July 26, Praveen was brutally killed by attackers on a motorcycle in Dakshina Kannada's Sullia taluk. This incident occurred shortly after the murder of Masood, an 18-year-old who was killed for rearing a calf in the nearby village of Kalanja. In response to Praveen's murder, a man named Fazil was also hacked to death in Surathkal on July 28. The police have stated that Fazil's murder was planned in advance and that the suspects had been monitoring him before carrying out the attack.