New Delhi/ Mangaluru: National Investigation Agency (NIA) Wednesday arrested another key absconding accused in the 2022 Praveen Nettaru murder case, taking the total number of arrests in the high-profile case to 25.An NIA release stated that the accused, Ummar Farook MR, was apprehended from Kochi, Kerala. Farook had a Red Corner Notice (RCN) and a non-bailable warrant issued against him. NIA had also announced a reward of Rs 4 lakh for information leading to his arrest.NIA had earlier chargesheeted Farook in the murder case under various sections of the IPC and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Investigations revealed that he attended a conspiracy meeting at the office of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) in Sullia town of Dakshina Kannada along with other accused.Investigation revealed that Farook had agreed to provide his motorcycle to a co-accused for identifying potential targets and conducting reconnaissance in Bellare village of Sullia taluk before the murder. He is also accused of participating along with the other co-accuseds in an attempt to eliminate a protected witness in the case.The latest arrest comes weeks after the NIA, in this July, apprehended two other absconding accused, Abdul Nasir P alias Nasir, and Naushad, from Kochi and Hosur, Tamil Nadu, respectively, in an operation based on information received from Andhra Pradesh police.The murder of Praveen Nettaru, a BJP functionary from Dakshina Kannada district, on July 26, 2022 had triggered widespread outrage and led to the NIA taking over the probe which has revealed that the killing was part of a larger criminal conspiracy orchestrated by cadres of the banned PFI.Currently, two accused remain absconding in the case. Efforts are on to trace and arrest them.
