K'taka BJP activist murder case: NIA to seize property of accused

Bengaluru, July 3 The National Investigation Agency (NIA) probing the BJP activist Praveen Kumar Nettaru murder case is all set to seize the properties of the main accused persons as they failed to surrender before the authorities, sources said on Monday.

The NIA had given a deadline till June 30 for the surrender of the accused persons.

The agency authorities had made the announcement in this regard in Sullia and Bellare towns through mikes. The notices were pasted on the residences of the accused and the family members were intimated.

The authorities had also made announcements of cash rewards for those who gave tips to the police about the accused persons.

Umar Farooq and Mustafa Paichar, both residents of Kallu Mutlu, the prime accused persons in Nettaru's murder case have remained elusive till date, though the NIA has launched an all out operation to nab them in Karnataka and Kerala states.

Sources said that NIA was collecting the details of movable and immovable assets of the accused persons from the Revenue department and other sources. They are also gathering inputs on the official bank accounts.

The NIA will submit the list of properties to the court and later they will be confiscated and handed over to the government.

The NIA has not been able to nab the two prime accused even 11 months after the incident.

The authorities have submitted the facts to the local NIA Special court and sought consent for stringent action against the accused persons.

The court honoring the submission of the NIA had given its consent and released the order of confiscation of the properties of the two prime accused if they do not surrender by June 30. The order was given on Wednesday.

NIA, which is probing Praveen Kumar Nettare murder case, has submitted a charge sheet against 20 accused persons to the NIA Special court in Bengaluru. They have arrested 14 persons and have launched a hunt for six others who are absconding.

The NIA had submitted 1,500 pages of the charge sheet, including statements of 240 witnesses.

The Socialist Democratic Party of India (SDPI) had announced a ticket for Shafi Bellare, an accused in the murder case for the recently held Assembly elections in Karnataka. The development had raised debate in the state and he contested from jail but lost his deposit.

Nettare was hacked to death at the height of the hijab crisis in the state on July 26, 2022. The incident had taken place in Bellare near Sullia in Dakshina Kannada district. The development had led to revenge killings and a series of stabbing incidents in the state.