Chilling details have emerged in the murder case involving Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa. Renukaswamy, who lived in Karnataka’s Chitradurga, was found dead about 200 kms away in Bengaluru on Sunday. The actor, popularly known as ‘Challenging Star’, was arrested from his Mysuru farmhouse on Tuesday as the cops probe his role in the murder.
Darshan’s girlfriend Pavithra Gowda and 11 of his aides have also been arrested. Ms Gowda has been named the key accused in the case and Darshan the second accused.
Here are five chilling details from the murder probe:
- Renukaswamy had allegedly made lewd comments on Ms Gowda’s social media posts after which she instigated Darshan to punish him, news agency PTI reported citing police sources.
- Darshan engaged Raghavendra alias Raghu, the convenor of his fan club’s Chitradurga unit, to gather information about Renukaswamy, they said. The victim’s wife also alleged it was Raghu who picked him up from near their house.
- The report said he was kidnapped and taken to a shed in Bengaluru’s Kamakshipalya. The actor thrashed Renukaswamy there with a belt while his aides beat him with sticks after he fell unconscious. He was also thrown against a wall and suffered multiple bone fractures all over his body, it added.
- The victim’s body was allegedly dumped in a stormwater drain. Dogs were nibbling on his body when a food delivery executive noticed it and alerted the cops.
- Darshan and Ms Gowda are not cooperating and hiding facts, the Karnataka Police told the court in their remand application on Tuesday, news agency IANS reported citing sources. A hunt is also on for four other accused.
Reactions To Darshan’s Arrest
Darshan’s fans are in shock and disbelief that their favourite actor could be involved in such a grisly crime. They have been thronging police stations where the actor was being grilled, forcing the cops to lathicharge them.
The police have been given a free hand to take action against Darshan and other accused in accordance with the law, said the state’s Home Minister G Parameshwara.
Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) President N M Suresh has asserted they will take action against the actor after a discussion with the artists’ union, most likely after the cops file a charge-sheet in the case.
