NIA smells deeper conspiracy, hit-squads in Nettar murder, conducts 24 raids

The NIA has carried out multiple raids in connection with Praveen Nettar case and is not treating it as a one-off case.

New Delhi, Sep 06: The National Investigation Agency conducted raids in 24 locations in Mangaluru in connection with the murder of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha leader, Praveen Nettar.

The killers Zakir Savanur, Mohammad Shafeeq Bellare, Sheik Saddam Hussain Bellare and Mohammad Harris Bellare said that they committed the murder to cause panic and terror in the area. On July 26, three people came in a vehicle and killed Nettar outside his shop off the Puttur-Sullia Road at Bellare in Mangaluru.

The NIA has carried out multiple raids in connection with this case. Sources tell OneIndia that this is not being treated as a one-off case and it is important to unearth the larger conspiracy. The proximity of Mangaluru to Kasargod where scores of incidents of Islamic radicalisation have taken place is also something that would be looked into, the source further added.

Prior to this the agency arrested one C A Abdul Kabeer of Jattipalla House, Sullia. The arrest of Kabeer accused of planning the murder, took place in the month of August.

In the same month, the police had arrested three prime accused in the connection with the case. Shihab, Riyaz and Basheer were arrested from the Talapady checkpost. The total number of arrests in this case now stands at 10.

During the probe, it was learnt that a hit-squad had been formed to eliminate Nettar. The same squad had identified two more Hindu leaders but their plan did not materialise.

Following the arrests of two more accused Abid and Naufal, the investigators learnt about the hit-squad. These squads are similar to the ones that had been formed to murder Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur and Umesh Kolhe in Amaravati. On August 4, a 23-year-old man Pratik Pawar was attacked with sharp weapons by a violent mob in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra.

The Intelligence agencies have learnt about the formation of such squads. There are Islamic courts that have been set up which instruct and direct such squads. The other killings that these hit-squads have carried out the killings of Rudresh and Harsha in Karnataka, K P Suresh Kumar in Tamil Nadu, Kamlesh Tiwari in Surat and Jagadish Gagnega in Punjab. In some of these cases, the role of an international syndicate that operates from Italy and Canada have also come to light.

The source cited above said that these incidents make it absolutely necessary to probe the larger conspiracy in such cases and not treat them as one-off incidents. Such hit-squads are highly dangerous and they have a long hit-list. Hence these multiple raids and going deep into the larger conspiracy is needed in order to stop such incidents from taking place in future, the source also added.