Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa was taken into custody in connection with a murder case on Tuesday, June 11. The actor was picked up from a hotel in Mysuru and was shifted to Bengaluru by the jurisdictional police.
The Bengaluru police were investigating the murder of one Renukaswamy, a fan of the actor who was allegedly tortured and murdered for allegedly harassing Pavithra Gowda, a close friend of Mr. Darshan, online.
The police had taken nine persons for questioning in connection with the murder when Darshan’s name was also mentioned, following which the police took him into custody. He was brought to the city in a police vehicle and grilled for several hours before he was taken to Bowring hospital for medical examination.
After seven hours of intense questioning, the Kamakshipalya police produced Darshan and his associates before the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court, after which they were taken into six days police custody for further investigation.
The victim, Renukaswamy, who hailed from Chitradurga. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
The police, while submitting remand application, requested the court that Darshan , Pavithra and others are required for spot mahajar and their call records details need to be verified. Considering the application, the court ordered one week police custody.
Darshan, along with 12 of his associates, have been accused of kidnapping 33-year-old Renukaswamy from Chitradurga, brought to a Pattanagere plot owned by Vinay’s uncle Jayanna and torturing him to death before his body was carried and dumped in a storm water drain in Kamakshipalaya on June 8.
Also read:Choice of Darshan as ‘health ambassador’ irks women activists
The accused have been identified as Vinay V, owner of a hotel and close friend of Darshan and nephew of Pattanagere Jayaram, whose plot was allegedly used for the torture and murder of Renukaswamy , Nagaraju R, friend of Darshan and prime accused in the torture and murder , Lakshman M, Pradosh S, Pawan K, close friends of Pavitra Gowda and Darshan, Deepak Kumar M, Nandish, Karthik Keshavamurthy , Nikhil Nayak and Raghavendra, president of Darshan Fan’s association in Chitradurga , who, allegedly based on the instruction of Darshan and others, traced Renukamurthy and handed him over to the accused .
A food delivery personnel noticed the dead body floating and stray dogs surrounding it the next day and alerted the police . The police rushed to the spot and found that the body had multiple injuries and concluded that it was a case of murder.
The police, based on the evidence, identified the deceased Renukaswamy , a resident of Lakshmi Venkateshwara layout in Chitradurga and working in a medical store, who had allegedly commented on Pavitra Gowda’s social media account accusing her of creating a rift between his favourite film star and his wife . Renukaswamy allegedly used indecent comments, which miffed Pavitra.
She allegedly sought the help of the accused to teach him as lesson. As per the plan, the accused roped in Raghavendra, Darshan fans’ association president in Chitradurga, to trace Renukaswamy . Raghavendra traced Renukaswamy and handed him over to the accused .
Police personnel posted around Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa’s residence in Rajarajeshwari Nagar in Bengaluru on June 11, 2024. | Photo Credit: Murali Kumar. K
Also read: Actor Darshan, MP Jaggesh under scanner after complaints of possession of wildlife articles
The accused, who were allegedly drunk, took him to the five acre plot belonging to the uncle of the accused, which was rented out to a private company to park seized vehicles . The accused allegedly tortured and beat up Renukaswamy to death.
The police suspect that Darshan had visited the plot and questioned Renukaswamy about the post and allegedly assaulted him. However, in custody, Darshan maintained that he had nothing to do with the incident, said sources.
During the initial stage of investigation, four of the accused appeared before the police and allegedly confessed that they had murdered Renukaswamy due to a financial row. “However, a detailed probe by the police revealed the bigger plot,” said a police official.
An FSL team visited the scene of crime and gathered all evidence to corroborate the evidence. The police have recovered CCTV footage , call record details, a goods vehicle and a SUV allegedly used by the accused to transport the body.
As the news of Darshan’s arrest spread, hundreds of his fans and curious onlookers gathered outside the Annapoorneshwari Nagar police station to have a glimpse of Darshan and Pavitra Gowda who were being questioned by the police . The fans raised slogans in support of the actor and the police had to provide security cover to ensure law and order.
Soon after Darshan’s arrest, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was briefed by the Director General and Inspector General of Police about the arrest at the routine briefing .
Darshan, in 2011, was earlier arrested after his wife filed a complaint of domestic violence. He was also booked along with other actors under the Excise and Karnataka Police Act by the Subrahmanyanagar police station for allegedly partying in a bar beyond permissible time and causing inconvenience to the residents in January 2024. The Forest Department had last year raided residences of Darshan and actor Jaggesh, actor-politician Nikhil Kumaraswamy, and film producer ‘Rockline’ Venkatesh searching for tiger claw pendants they were photographed wearing at different points of time.
