New Delhi, 4 July

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday arrested a key accused in connection with the brutal murder of BJP Yuva Morcha leader Praveen Nettaru in State, officials said.

The accused, Abdul Rahaman was absconding for the last two years and he carried a Rs 4 lakh reward for his arrest.

He was taken into custody by the NIA team at the Kannur International Airport in Kerala on his arrival from Qatar, they said.

In April 2025, NIA filed a chargesheet against four accused, including Rahaman and two others who are still absconding. This takes the total number of accused in the murder case to 28.

Nettaru was killed with sharp weapons allegedly by members of the banned Popular Front of India, on 26 July 2022, in Dakshina Kannada’s Bellare village.

The murder was reportedly motivated by a larger conspiracy to strike terror and unleash communal hatred in the society, said the NIA. 

Meanwhile, search is underway to track down and arrest the remaining absconders.