These revelations were made pertaining to the killing of BJP's Yuva Morcha district committee member Praveen Nettaru on 26 July 26 2022 in Bellare village of Sullia Taluk in Karnataka's Dakshina Kannada district.
Nettaru was killed in full public view with lethal weapons to create terror among the people at large and especially among members of a particular community.
The anti-terror agency had filed the charge-sheet against 20 PFI in a special court in Bengaluru under sections of 120B, 153A, 302 and 34 of Indian Penal Code and sections 16, 18 and 20 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, and Section 25(1)(a) of Arms Act.
Of the 20 PFI members, six are absconding and rewards have been declared for information leading to their arrest in the case, it said.
"Among the chargesheeted accused, Mustafa Paichar, Masud KA, Kodaje Mohammed Sherif, Abubakkar Siddik, Ummar Farook MR and Thufail MH are currently absconding and rewards have been declared for information leading to their arrest," it said.
NIA said that investigations revealed that PFI, as part of its agenda to create terror, communal hatred & unrest in society and further its agenda of establishing Islamic Rule by 2047, formed secret teams 'Service Teams' or 'Killer Squads' to carry out killings of its ‘perceived enemies’ & targets
“These Service Team members were given Arms as well as Attack training and training in surveillance techniques in order to identify, list out and to mount surveillance on individuals/leaders belonging to certain communities and groups," it said.
In furtherance of conspiracy meetings by PFI members and leaders held at Bengaluru city, Sullia Town and Bellare village, said the charge sheet, adding "the head of district Service Team Mustafa Paichar was instructed to recce, identify and target a prominent member of a particular community".
"As per instructions, four persons were recced and identified and among them, Praveen Nettaru, who was a BJP Yuva Morcha member, was assaulted and killed on July 26 last year in full public view with lethal weapons to create terror among the people at large and especially among members of a particular community," mentions the charge-sheet.
The case was initially registered on July 27 by at Bellare Police Station of Dakshina Kannada district and re-registered by the NIA on August 4 last year.
The Home Ministry in September banned the PFI, its associates, and affiliates for a period of five years under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 by declaring it as an unlawful association.
Besides involvement in Nettaru's murder, the PFI cadres are also accused of involvement in several terrorist acts and the murder of several persons, including Sanjith (Kerala, November 2021), V Ramalingam (Tamil Nadu, 2019), Nandu (Kerala, 2021), Abhimanyu (Kerala, 2018), Bibin (Kerala, 2017), Sharath (Kamataka, 2017), R Rudresh (Kamataka, 2016), Praveen Puyari (Karnataka, 2016), and Sasi Kumar (Tamil Nadu, 2016).
(With inputs from ANI)
