 "Actor Darshan held for fan's murder who sent abusive texts to his partner")
Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, popularly known as 'Challenging Star' and his partner Pavithra Gowda along with eleven others have been arrested in a murder case that unfolded in a filmy style.
Eleven others arrested by police are Pavan, Vinay, Pradosh, Nandeesha, Deepak, Lakshman, Nagaraju, Karthik, Nikhil, Keshav Murthy, and Raghavendra. All were sent to police custody for seven days by a city court.
Darshan’s fan shared defamatory texts with Pavithra
Renukaswamy, a fan of Darshan, was said to have been sending a series of lewd and defamatory texts to Pavithra. The fan held Pavithra responsible for Darshan’s separation from his wife Vjayalakshmi and warned her to stay away from him or face consequences, police sources said.
Renukaswamy was found murdered with his body dumped in a drain in Kamakshipalya in Bengaluru on June 8. The deceased was arrested from Chitradurga and kept captive in a farmhouse in Bengaluru's Rajarajeshwarinagar. He was tortured and then he passed away due to injuries at around 11 pm. Renukaswamy used to work at a pharmacy in Chitradurga.
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Police registered a murder case
Police got a call from a locality near Summanahalli in Bengaluru on June 9 as the security guard spotted a body in a drain. While the police registered a murder case and tried to establish the identity of the victim, four men turned up at the Kamakshipalya police station claiming that they had killed Renukaswamy at a shed near RR Nagar over a financial dispute.
The police established the identity of the victim and pulled out his Call Details Records (CDR) and that of the men who surrendered. It was quite confusing, police said. Renukaswamy was from Chitradurga and we were wondering why he had come to Bengaluru and why he had visited the shed near RR Nagar, located 10 km from the place where the body was found. Eventually, the police investigations and questioning revealed that Renukaswamy was abducted at the behest of Darshan and was killed in the shed.
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The Kannada film star was arrested after the police found visual footage of Darshan and Pavithra at the location where Renukaswmmy was assaulted. The video reveals that a black Scorpio with the victim's body left the location and then a red Thar that belonged to the actor.
The visuals revealed that they entered the crime scene at 11 pm and left around 3.30 am. The vehicle was approaching the godown and leaving on the intervening night of June 8 and 9.
Police arrested Darshan and Pavithra
Darshan was arrested in Mysuru on Tuesday morning when he was leaving the gym, and Pavithra was held in Bengaluru later after the link was established with the case.
Pavithra was ignoring indecent tests from Swamy, who was not happy with her relationship with Darshan. However, it was revealed that the deceased was not only sending him lewd texts, but he was also threatening her. The police haven't established a direct link between the murder and the Kannada actor. Police apprehended him and on the statement, police arrested ten other accused in the murder case.
After Darshan and Pavithra's arrest, the Bengaluru police have started a full-fledged investigation into the murder case. The police are also trying to find the involvement of others in kidnapping the victim from Chitradurga to Bengaluru and later disposing of his body in the city.