A Bengaluru court has extended the police custody of Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa and three other accused in the Renukaswamy murder case by two days.
The police custody of Dhanaraj, Vinay, and Pradosh was also extended.
Thirteen other accused, including the actor’s close friend Pavithra Gowda, were remanded to 14 days’ judicial custody.
In total, 17 people are accused in the murder case.
All the accused appeared before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Judge Vishwanath C Goudar as their police custody expired on June 20th.
As per police sources, Renukaswamy, a fan of the actor, allegedly sent obscene messages on social media to Pavithra Gowda, which enraged Darshan and purportedly led to his murder. His body was discovered near a storm-water drain adjacent to an apartment in Sumanahalli on June 9th.
“Darshan, accused number 2 (A2) in the case, mentioned voluntarily to the police that he had given Rs 30 lakh to Pradosh (A14) for disposing of the body and covering the expenses related to the persons carrying out this task, and to ensure that his name does not appear anywhere,” a police official stated.
“From the crime scene, items such as a lathi and wooden logs purportedly used in the assault, along with a water bottle, blood stains, and material evidence including a DVR containing CCTV footage, have been recovered,” the official stated. “Blood stains were also discovered on the vehicle allegedly used for disposing of the body.”
According to the post-mortem report, Renukaswamy’s death resulted from shock and hemorrhage due to multiple blunt injuries sustained. “Viscera samples have been forwarded to the Forensic Science Laboratory for further analysis,” he added.
Sources indicated that one of the accused, Raghavendra, who is associated with Darshan’s fan club in Chitradurga, allegedly brought Renukaswamy to a shed in R R Nagar under the pretext that Darshan wished to meet him. It was in this shed that Renukaswamy was purportedly tortured and killed.
The investigating team reportedly has gathered substantial evidence, including CCTV footage, which may establish Darshan’s presence during the alleged assault on Renukaswamy, resulting in his demise, sources disclosed.
