New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested an absconding Service Team (Hit Team) member of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) in the Praveen Nettaru murder case.

Thufail MH, Kodagu district head of PFI Service Team (Hit Team) and former District Secretary of the outfit, was arrested from his Bangalore hideout late last night, the agency said on Sunday.

"After painstakingly pursuing and developing leads from various sources, the NIA team managed to hole out and overpower absconder Thufail MH from his hideout in the Amaruthahalli area of Bangalore City," said the NIA.

Tufail was wanted in the murder case of Praveen Nettaru, a BJP Yuva Morcha member, who was murdered by PFI cadres in July 2022 in Bellare village of Sullia Taluk in Dakshina Kannada district.

In January this year, the NIA filed charge-sheet in against 20 accused persons before NIA Special Court, Bangalore, including six absconding accused.

Thufail MH had played a significant role in PFI's larger conspiracy to murder leaders of a particular community, said the NIA.

"He also provided shelter and safe harbour at Ashiyana residency of Koppa Village, Mysuru district to the three assailants of this case, who had recced and then hacked Praveen Nettaru to death," said the anti-terror agency.

Earlier, Thufail MH was accused in the Prashanth Poojari murder case registered in 2016 of at Kushalnagar Rural Police Station in Karnataka and attempt to murder of VHP leader Ganesh in 2012 at Madikeri Rural Police Station in Karnataka.