The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested another key absconding accused in the 2022 murder of Karnataka BJP leader Praveen Nettaru in another big development in one of the country’s most closely watched terror-related investigations. Since the latest arrest, the number of accused arrested in the case is now 25.
The accused arrested is Ummar Farook M.R., who was identified as being from Kochi, Kerala, and arrested in a pre-planned operation on Wednesday. The NIA said the operation was based on credible intelligence inputs collected in the past few weeks.
Ummar Farook had been evading arrest for more than a year and was declared an absconding accused. The agency had obtained a Red Corner Notice (RCN) against him through international channels and a non-bailable warrant from the court. The NIA had placed a reward of ₹4 lakh for information leading to his capture.
The agency had chargesheeted Ummar Farook under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for his alleged role in the conspiracy behind the murder of Praveen Nettaru.
Ummar Farook attended a conspiracy meeting at the office of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) in Sullia, Karnataka, along with the other accused persons, the police said. Investigators believe this meeting was one of the main reasons for the killing of the BJP leader.
The NIA also alleged that Ummar Farook agreed to provide his motorcycle to a co-accused to conduct reconnaissance and locate potential targets in Bellare village, where Praveen Nettaru was ultimately murdered. The accused was also believed to be involved in a conspiracy to kill a protected witness connected to the case, the sources said. Therefore, the charges against him are serious.
The arrest follows another breakthrough by the NIA in July 2026: the two other absconding suspects, Abdul Nasir P., aka Nasir, from Kochi, Kerala, and Naushad from Hosur, Tamil Nadu. They were arrested in a joint operation after intelligence inputs were received from the Andhra Pradesh Police.
Praveen Nettaru, a local BJP leader from Karnataka's Dakshina Kannada district, was murdered on July 26, 2022, a tragedy that aroused widespread indignation and fueled a lively debate over law and order. Due to the gravity of the case and its alleged links to extremist activities, the investigation was shifted to the National Investigation Agency.
The NIA has maintained that the murder is part of a larger criminal conspiracy that was allegedly orchestrated by cadres of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI). It has subsequently produced several charge sheets that describe the alleged planning, reconnaissance, execution, and subsequent attempts to escape the police.
So far, with Ummar Farook in jail, there is also another key link in the conspiracy that is being looked at. But the investigation is going on.
Two of the accused are still absconding, and we are still trying to trace them and arrest them, the NIA said. The government has maintained that it will bring all the alleged conspirators to justice and bring the investigation to an end.
The latest arrest would be seen as another significant milestone in the NIA’s long-standing campaign to remove the alleged network behind the murder and hold the culprits accountable.
