Chilling details, each more than the last, are emerging in the murder case of a 33-year-old man who was tortured and killed allegedly by popular Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, co-star Pavithra Gowda, and his fans.
The cops believe Renuka Swamy was beaten with sticks and tied up and given electric shocks. He died due to “shock haemorrhage as a result of multiple blunt injuries,” said his autopsy report.
The victim’s testicles were ruptured and he had a missing ear too, reports say. His body was found in a drain in Bengaluru on June 9, with his face half-eaten by dogs.
What Happened On June 8
The two actors conspired to murder Renuka Swamy after he made lewd comments about Pavithra Gowda on social media, the other suspects in the case have revealed. They said they kidnapped him on June 8 from his hometown in Chitradurga on the instructions of Darshan, and took him to a shed in Bengaluru, where they allegedly tortured and killed him, according to the police remand copy.
At the shed, Renuka Swamy was beaten with wooden clubs. He was tied up and given electric shocks, and after he died, they dumped his body in the drain at midnight. They also threw away his mobile phone and that of Raghvendra, the Darshan fan club member who had kidnapped him.
Samples Collected So Far
The police have collected bloodstain samples from the security room of the shed where Renuka Swamy was allegedly tortured and killed. Hair strands and clothes worn by Renuka Swamy, as well as the footwear that Darshan and Pavithra wore on the day of the murder have also been seized.
CCTV footage from the shed, toll booths between Chitradurga and Bengaluru, and the house of Pradosh, who helped in disposing of the victim’s body, have also been collected.
False Confessions
Pavithra Gowda is the main accused in the murder case involving Darshan, which has sent shockwaves through the Kannada film industry.
The two actors hired four men to take the blame for the murder. While two of them were paid Rs 5 lakh for submitting false confessions, two other men were promised the same amount for going to jail. Darshan also allegedly paid Rs 30 lakh cash to Pradosh for disposing of the body, they added.
But the men, who had surrendered as per their plan to save Darshan, confessed during interrogation that the actors were behind the murder, the police said.
The police custody of Darshan and Pavithra ends today and the two actors are likely to be presented in court.
