Kochi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has 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. The accused, identified as Ummar Farook M R, was arrested from Kochi during a targeted operation based on credible intelligence inputs, the NIA said on Thursday.

According to the agency, Farook had been evading arrest since the investigation began and carried a bounty of ₹4 lakh. A Red Corner Notice (RCN) and a non-bailable warrant had also been issued against him.

The NIA had earlier chargesheeted 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 Nettaru’s murder.

Investigators said Farook had participated in a key conspiracy meeting held at the office of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) in Sullia town in Dakshin Kannada district of Karnataka. During the meeting, the accused allegedly discussed plans to eliminate Praveen Nettaru.

As part of the conspiracy, Farook had agreed to provide his motorcycle to a co-accused to carry out reconnaissance in Bellare village and identify prospective targets before the murder, the agency said.

The NIA further alleged that Farook later conspired with other accused persons to eliminate a protected witness in the case in an attempt to derail the trial.

His arrest comes weeks after the NIA apprehended two other absconding accused in the case during coordinated operations in July. Acting on intelligence shared by the Andhra Pradesh Police, the agency arrested Abdul Nasir P, alias Nasir, from Kochi, and Naushad from Hosur in Tamil Nadu. Nasir, who changed his identity, was working at a roadside eatery in Kochi’s Palluruthy for the last few years.

NIA had earlier chargesheeted Nasir and Naushad in the case under various sections of IPC and UAPA for knowingly and voluntarily harbouring the main assailants who had murdered Nettaru.

Praveen Nettaru, District Executive Committee member of BJP Yuva Morcha in Dakshina Kannada, was hacked to death on July 26, 2022, triggering widespread outrage across the state. The investigation was subsequently handed over to the NIA, which concluded that the murder was carried out as part of a larger criminal conspiracy allegedly orchestrated by cadres of the banned PFI.

With Farook’s arrest, only two accused remain absconding in the case. The NIA said efforts are continuing to trace and arrest the remaining fugitives to complete the investigation.