The National Investigation Agency has conducted extensive searches at the houses of three absconding suspects in the case related to the murder of Bharatiya Janata Party Yuva Morcha member Praveen Nettaru by cadres of the Popular Front of India in Karnataka last year, the agency said on Wednesday.
Three locations were searched in two districts of Karnataka on Tuesday as part of NIA's efforts to hunt down the absconders.
The NIA seized several electronic gadgets and documents during the searches at the houses of Abdul Nasir and Abdul Rahaman in Kodagu district and Naushad in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka.
All three are suspected of harbouring the main assailants of Parveen Nettaru at various hideouts across Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, said the NIA.
Besides the trio, five other accused are still absconding in the case, which NIA had taken over in August last year.
A total of 21 persons, including the absconders, have so far been chargesheeted by the NIA under various sections of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Indian Penal Code and Arms Act in the case that is linked to the killing of Nettaru. Nettaru was hacked to death on July 26, 2022, in Bellare village of Sullia Taluk at Dakshina Kannada district by PFI 'killer squads' or 'service teams'.
The PFI, which was banned by the Central government in September last year, has been indulging in such targeted 'hate killings' with the aim of driving a communal wedge and spreading communal hatred with its ultimate objective of establishing an Islamic Rule in India by 2047.
"Efforts to track down the absconding accused are continuing," said the NIA.
