MHA hands over Suhas Shetty murder probe to NIA, citing wider conspiracy

New Delhi/Mangaluru

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has officially transferred the investigation into the murder of rowdy-sheeter and former Bajrang Dal leader Suhas Shetty to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The decision, conveyed through an order dated June 7, cites the grave nature of the crime and its potential national implications, stressing the need to uncover the full extent of the conspiracy.

Suhas Shetty, who was facing trial as the prime accused in the 2022 murder of 23-year-old Mohammed Fazil in Surathkal, was killed on May 1 near Kinnipadavu in the Bajpe region of Mangaluru, coastal Karnataka. He was attacked by a group of assailants while traveling in a car. So far, the Mangaluru police have arrested 11 individuals in connection with his murder.

According to the MHA order, the transfer of the case to the NIA is necessary to address the “seriousness of the offence, its possible national ramifications, and the need to unravel the larger conspiracy” under the provisions of the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008.

Suhas Shetty was also accused in the 2020 murder of Keerthi, a 20-year-old youth from Devaragudda in Bajpe, and of assaulting two others in separate incidents. His violent past and involvement in multiple cases had earned him notoriety as a rowdy-sheeter in the region.

Following Shetty’s murder, several BJP leaders and right-wing social media supporters suggested a communal motive, portraying the killing as an attack on Hindutva activists. However, the arrests made in the case complicated this narrative. Among the accused are two Hindu men, challenging the initial claims of communal intent.

On May 3, police arrested eight suspects identified as Abdul Safwan, Niyaz, Mohammed Muzammil, Khalandar Shafi, Adil Mehroof, Nagaraj, Ranjith, and Rizwan. Mangaluru Police Commissioner Anupam Agarwal stated that special teams from the City Crime Branch, North Sub-Division, and Bajpe Police Station were involved in the coordinated operation.

Investigations revealed that the prime accused, Abdul Safwan, allegedly plotted the murder in retaliation for a previous assault by Shetty’s associates in 2023. Adil Mehroof, reportedly Mohammed Fazil’s brother, is suspected to have financed the conspiracy.

The NIA is expected to further probe the broader conspiracy angles and possible links to other criminal networks.