Archive · 6 Aug 2026
NIA Arrests Absconding Accused in 2022 Karnataka BJP Leader Murder
The police in India have caught a man who was hiding from them.
His name is Ummar Farook M R. He is accused of helping plan the murder of a politician named Praveen Nettaru in 2022.
Mr. Nettaru was a leader of the BJP party in the state of Karnataka.
He was attacked and killed in front of his shop in a village called Bellare.
Farook was found hiding in a city called Kochi in Kerala.
A special police agency called the NIA led the operation to catch him.
The police think he went to secret meetings and gave his motorcycle to people who checked the area before the attack.
He is also accused of trying to hurt a witness who was helping the police.
Now 25 people have been arrested, and the police are still looking for two more.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Ummar Farook M R, a key absconding accused in the 2022 murder of Karnataka BJP leader Praveen Nettaru, from Kochi in Kerala.
The arrest is the 25th in the case out of 27 identified accused, with two people still absconding.
Farook had a Red Corner Notice and a non-bailable warrant against him, and the NIA had announced a Rs 4 lakh reward for information leading to his capture.
Investigations revealed he attended a conspiracy meeting at the banned PFI's office in Sullia and supplied his motorcycle for identifying targets and conducting reconnaissance in Bellare village before the murder.
He is also accused of helping the primary suspect flee, attempting to destroy evidence, and conspiring to eliminate a protected witness.
- Who
- Ummar Farook M R (also reported as M. R. Umar Farooq), a key absconding accused, was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in the 2022 murder case of Karnataka BJP leader Praveen Nettaru.
- What
- The 25th arrest in the murder case; the NIA says the killing was part of a larger criminal conspiracy orchestrated by cadres of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI).
- When
- Reported on Thursday; one article says Farook was apprehended on Wednesday, while another says the arrest was carried out on Thursday. Nettaru was murdered on July 26, 2022, and Farook had been on the run for nearly four years.
- Where
- Farook was arrested in Kochi, Kerala, where he was hiding in the Palluruthy area; Nettaru was killed in Bellare village in Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka.
- Why
- Farook allegedly attended pre-murder conspiracy meetings, provided his motorcycle for reconnaissance and target identification, helped the primary suspect flee, tried to destroy evidence, and conspired to eliminate a protected witness.
- Arrested accused
- Ummar Farook M R
- Arrest location
- Kochi, Kerala (Palluruthy area)
- Victim
- Praveen Nettaru, BJP Yuva Morcha leader from Bellare, Dakshina Kannada
- Murder date
- July 26, 2022
- Total arrests
- 25 of 27 identified accused
- Remaining absconding accused
- 2
- Reward for information
- Rs 4 lakh
- Charges
- Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act
