Praveen Nettaru murder case: NIA arrests another absconding accused carrying Rs 4 lakh bounty

NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday arrested another key absconding accused in the 2022 murder of Karnataka BJP leader Praveen Nettaru, taking the total number of arrests in the case to 25.

According to the agency, Ummar Farook M R was apprehended from Kochi, Keralam, following a targeted operation based on credible intelligence inputs. The NIA said a Red Corner Notice (RCN) and a non-bailable warrant had been issued against Farook. The agency had also announced a reward of Rs 4 lakh for information leading to his arrest.

Farook had earlier been chargesheeted in connection with the conspiracy behind Nettaru’s murder under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). According to the NIA’s investigation, Farook attended a conspiracy meeting at the office of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) in Sullia town along with other accused.

NIA Arrests an absonder in Praveen Nettaru Murder Case pic.twitter.com/ZEwOmJu2xR

— NIA India (@NIA_India) August 6, 2026

The agency further alleged that Farook had agreed to provide his motorcycle to a co-accused for identifying potential targets and conducting reconnaissance in Bellare village before the murder. “Farook is also accused of participating along with other co-accused persons in an attempt to eliminate a protected witness in the case,” the NIA said.

The latest arrest comes weeks after the NIA, in July, arrested two other absconding accused-Abdul Nasir P alias Nasir and Naushad-from Kochi in Kerala and Hosur in Tamil Nadu, respectively, in a coordinated operation based on information received from the Andhra Pradesh Police.

The murder of Praveen Nettaru, a local BJP leader from Dakshina Kannada district, on July 26, 2022, had triggered widespread outrage and led to the NIA taking over the investigation. NIA probe has revealed that the killing was part of a larger criminal conspiracy orchestrated by cadres of the banned PFI.

The NIA further added that two accused remain absconding, and efforts are continuing to trace and arrest the remaining absconding accused and to bring the investigation to its logical conclusion. (ANI)