Popular Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, along with other accused individuals, is set to appear in court on Thursday as their police custody period concludes today. Darshan was apprehended on June 11 for his alleged involvement in the murder of his fan, Renukaswamy. The arrest followed accusations that Renukaswamy, 33, had sent obscene messages to Darshan’s co-star and friend, Pavithra Gowda, who has also been implicated in the case. Darshan has spent the past nine days in police custody.
If the court decides to place all 17 accused, including Darshan and Gowda, in judicial custody, they will be transferred to Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru.
On Thursday, the accused individuals underwent a series of medical tests at Victoria Hospital. These tests included measurements of height and weight, examinations of hair for both natural and wig areas, collection of hair samples, blood tests, DNA samplings, and eye tests.
During the investigation, police obtained a wig sample from Darshan, who is known to wear a wig.
Renukaswamy, who was an autorickshaw driver, was allegedly kidnapped from Karnataka's Chitradurga district on June 8. This was reportedly after he sent derogatory messages to Gowda, blaming her for deteriorating Darshan's relationship with his wife. According to the police, this enraged Darshan, prompting him to hire members of one of his fan clubs, paying them to kidnap Renukaswamy.Â
The police allege that Renukaswamy was kidnapped and subsequently murdered by a gang acting under Darshan’s orders. His body was discovered near a flyover in Bengaluru on June 9. It has been reported that Darshan allegedly provided Rs 5 lakh each to two of the four men accused to take the fall for Renukaswamy’s murder.
The autopsy revealed that Renukaswamy was brutally attacked and died from "shock and hemorrhage due to multiple blunt injuries." The report indicated that he was kicked and that his testicles were severely damaged. Additionally, the autopsy noted that Renukaswamy was subjected to electric shocks before his death. The details of the alleged torture emerged during questioning, as disclosed by one of the accomplices following their arrest, according to sources.
