Overview

• NIA teams carried out simultaneous searches at 14 residences and offices in Bajpe and Surathkal to advance the probe into the May 1 murder of Suhas Shetty.
• Investigators confiscated critical documents and digital devices and questioned multiple individuals suspected of ties to extremist groups and foreign funding networks.
• BJP leaders have alleged that the banned Popular Front of India orchestrated the killing with backing from external financiers.
• Authorities have arrested 12 suspects so far, including two Hindu individuals, raising concerns over inter-community manipulation in the revenge-style attack.
• The case was transferred from Karnataka Police to the NIA under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act in early June, underscoring the central agency’s expanding role in addressing coastal Karnataka’s sectarian violence.