PremiumRenukaswamy murder case: Darshan among 4 accused sent to police custody again
Darshan will spend 2 more days in custodial interrogation, along with 4 other accused – Dhanraj, Vinay, Pradosh - in the case.
Last Updated: 09.30 PM, Jun 20, 2024
After two stints of police custody, Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa was expected to be sent to judicial custody on June 20 in the investigation into the Renukaswamy murder case. However, the court agreed with the investigating team’s contention that Darshan’s involvement in the case required further scrutiny. With the police yet to recover the deceased’s mobile phone, continued custodial interrogation is required, they said. The police had requested for extension to complete procedures, of which 2 days have been allotted.
Darshan and 4 others will continue to be in police custody, while accused number 1 Pavitra Gowda and the rest of the accused in the case will now be shifted to the Parappana Agrahara jail for judicial custody. 14 days' of police custody is the maximum allotted time, of which 10 days have already gone by.
Darshan was arrested on June 11, in connection with the brutal murder of Chitradurga resident Renukaswamy, a 33-year-old fan of the actor, who had allegedly sent derogatory messages to Pavitra Gowda. The actor is accused number 2 in the case, and has been booked under Section 302 (murder) and Sec 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to conceal offence). News channels, however, report that 302 is unlikely to be binding for Darshan.
Reports suggest that Darshan is alleged to have admitted to paying some of the accused Rs 30 lakh to dispose of Renukaswamy’s body. This is being cited as a reason for continued interrogation. The actor has denied involvement in the torture and eventual murder, even though there is CCTV footage and mobile tower information placing him at the dump yard where Renukaswamy was murdered.
Meanwhile, images of Renukaswamy’s body, after the police fished him out of the stormwater drain he’d been dumped in, show signs of barbaric torture. There are cane/rod marks on his back, an ear is missing (cut off), testicles ruptured, and burn marks from electric shock.