Pramesh S Jain
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday arrested another absconding accused in the 2022 murder of BJP leader Praveen Nettaru,taking the total number of arrests in the case to 25.
The accused,Ummar Farooq M.R,was arrested in Kochi, Kerala,during a targeted operation based on specific intelligence inputs.
He had been absconding since the investigation began and was wanted under a Red Corner Notice (RCN) and a non-bailable warrant.
The NIA had also announced a Rs.4 lakh reward for information leading to his arrest.
According to the NIA,Ummar Farooq had already been chargesheeted under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Investigators alleged that he attended a conspiracy meeting at the office of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) in Sullia before the murder.
The agency said its investigation found that the accused agreed to provide his motorcycle to a co-accused for reconnaissance and identification of targets in Bellare village ahead of the killing.
He is also accused of participating in an attempt to eliminate a protected witness in the case.
The arrest follows the NIA’s operation in July 2026, in which two other absconding accused—Abdul Nasir P. alias Nasir and Naushad—were arrested from Kochi, Kerala,and Hosur,Tamil Nadu,respectively.
Praveen Nettaru,a BJP leader from Dakshina Kannada district, was murdered on July 26, 2022,an incident that sparked widespread outrage across Karnataka.
The NIA,which later took over the investigation,has maintained that the murder was part of a larger criminal conspiracy allegedly orchestrated by cadres of the banned PFI.
With Ummar Farooq’s arrest, the total number of accused arrested in the case has risen to 25.The NIA said two accused are still absconding,and efforts are continuing to trace and arrest them to complete the investigation.
