Mangaluru: The Karnataka Police have invoked the Karnataka Control of Organised Crime Act (KCOCA), 2000 in connection with the murder of Abdul Rehman, which occurred under the Bantwal Rural Police limits in Dakshina Kannada district on May 27, 2025.

Thirteen people have been arrested in the case and produced before a court, which has remanded them to judicial custody.

The arrested have been identified as Deepak, Chintan, Prithviraj Jogi, Sumit B. Acharya, V. Raviraj Moole, Abhin Rai, Tejaksha, Ravisanjay G.S., Shivaprasad Thumbe, Pradeep, Shahit alias Sahith, Sachin alias Sachu Rottigudde, and Ranjith.

Another accused, Bharath Raj alias Bharath Kumdelu (29), a resident of Pudu village, remains absconding, police said.

The case was initially registered under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Arms Act, 1959, including provisions related to conspiracy, abetment, and unlawful possession of firearms.

Police said the accused had been engaged in serious crimes such as murder, attempted murder, and inflammatory speeches for several years, disturbing communal harmony and public order in the region.

Given the organised and repetitive nature of their offences, investigators have now invoked the KCOCA Act, a stringent law meant to curb organised crime and criminal syndicates. Further investigation is in progress.