The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday arrested an alleged key conspirator in the riots in Bengaluru in August last year that left four people dead. Syed Abbas (38), a resident of Govindpur, was arrested from Bengaluru, a spokesperson of the agency said. Abbas is the ward president of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) in Nagawara in Bengaluru. He was produced before a special NIA court in Bengaluru which sent him to six-day custody of the agency.

A mob of people went on a rampage in Bengaluru on August 11 last year torching the residence of Congress MLA R Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy over an inflammatory social media post by a relative of the legislator. The irate mob also attacked the KG Halli and DJ Halli police stations and damaged public and private properties including setting vehicles on fire. Police had opened fire, killing three people on the spot while the fourth person allegedly involved in the violence died in a hospital.

After taking over the case on September 21, 2020, the NIA had so far chargesheeted 138 accused. "Investigation has revealed that accused Abbas is the president of SDPI Nagawara, Bengaluru Ward. He along with his co-conspirators...were actively involved in burning vehicles and attacking police officers on duty at KG Halli Police Station, the NIA said. The spokesperson said further investigation in the case continues.

The Karnataka High Court had in June granted bail to 115 accused members in the case charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 2008 by the NIA, overruling a lower court order giving time to file the chargesheet in the case. Muzammil Pasha, another accused member from the SDPI who was arrested earlier, was one of those granted bail by the High Court. He claimed that the party was targeted in the investigation following his release on bail.