New Delhi, 6 Aug

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested another key absconding accused in the 2022 murder of Karnataka BJP leader Praveen Nettaru, officials said on Thursday.

The accused, identified as Ummar Farook MR, was apprehended from Kochi in Kerala on Wednesday following a targeted operation based on credible intelligence inputs, they said.

With this, 25 people have been arrested in the high-profile murder case.

Farook, who had been absconding, had a Red Corner Notice (RCN) and a non-bailable warrant for arrest against him, the NIA said in a statement. The agency had also announced a reward of Rs 4 lakh for information leading to his arrest.

The NIA had earlier chargesheeted Farook in connection with the conspiracy behind the murder under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the statement said.

Investigations revealed that he had attended a conspiracy meeting at the office of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) in Sullia town along with other accused, it said.

Investigation revealed 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, the probe agency said.

He is also accused of participating, along with other co-accused, in an attempt to eliminate a protected witness in the case, it said.

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

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

In this case, two accused remain absconding. Efforts are continuing to trace and arrest the remaining absconding accused and to bring the investigation to its logical conclusion, the NIA said.