Actor Darshan, his close friend and actor Pavithra Gowda, and 12 of his close associates were arrested on 12 June for the murder of the 33-year-old fan of the actor.
Darshan at the 'Kaatera' success meet. (Supplied)
A delegation of Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) on Saturday, 15 June, visited the family of Renukaswamy and handed them Rs 5 lakh as compensation.
Actor Darshan, popularly known as ‘Challenging Star’, his close friend and actor Pavithra Gowda, and 12 of his close associates were arrested on 12 June for the murder of the 33-year-old fan of the actor.
“We have gone to convey our condolences personally and also to tell the family how apologetic the industry is about what happened to Renukaswamy. We also told them that we will stand with them in future too,” said NM Suresh, president of KFCC.
According to Suresh, once the police investigation is completed, they will take action if Darshan is found guilty.
“We gave ₹2.5 lakh to his wife and another ₹2.5 lakh to his father and mother on behalf of KFCC,” Ba Ma Girish, secretary of KFCC said.
Apart from Suresh and Girish, the delegation consisted of vice-president G Venkatesh, treasurer Jayasimha Musuri, and secretary Karrisubbu. The team was also accompanied by former presidents SA Chinna Gowda, Sa Ra Govindu and KV Chandrasekhar.
Renukaswamy’s body was found near a storm-water drain with multiple injury marks on 9 June.A resident of the district headquarters town of Chitradurga, Renukaswamy worked with a pharmacy company.
He allegedly commented on the social media account of Gowda, accusing her of creating a rift between the actor and his wife. He also allegedly used “indecent language” and posted offensive messages, according to police sources.
Sources said Darshan was furious with Renukaswamy after he sent obscene messages and images to Gowda.
“It was Pavithra who instigated Darshan to punish Renukaswamy. Accordingly, the plan was hatched,” the police said. “Darshan engaged the Chitradurga unit of Darshan Fan Club Convenor Raghavendra alias Raghu, who obtained all information about Renukaswamy.”
Renukaswamy’s wife Sahana said Raghavendra picked up her husband on Friday night from near their house. The victim was abducted and taken to a shed in the Kamakshipalya area in Bengaluru, the sources said.
“Darshan beat up Renukaswamy with a belt. After he fell unconscious, his accomplices thrashed him with sticks. Further, they threw him against a wall, which proved fatal,” they said adding there were multiple bone fractures all over his body.
After he died, his body was dumped in a stormwater drain. A food delivery boy who noticed dogs eating a human body alerted the police.
When the police were working on the case, two accused approached Kamakshipalya police and “confessed” to having killed Renukaswamy over a financial dispute.
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara had on Wednesday said that the police were given a free hand and action would be taken per the law against Darshan Thoogudeepa and his associates. He said the police will probe and decide whether Darshan is a “habitual offender,” adding that they will accordingly invoke legal sections and take action.
Parameshwara said: “If Renukaswamy had posted something on social media about his female friend, he could have given a complaint, and police would have acted immediately. The information is, he (Renukaswamy) was brought (to Bengaluru from Chitradurga), beaten and has been killed, it could have been avoided.”
“Now the incident has happened, a life has gone, and no one can do anything. But whatever action needs to be taken against the culprits in accordance with law, the police will do it,” he added.
To a question that Darshan had through influential politicians attempted to save himself, the minister said, as far as he knows, no one has tried to influence him, and action will be taken in the case, in accordance with the law.
In 2011, Darshan was arrested by police for allegedly assaulting his wife and threatening her. He was later released on bail and the couple subsequently resolved the issue and she withdrew the case against him.
The police team probing the murder case also stumbled upon CCTV footage showing the suspected abduction of the victim by some associates of Darshan in Chitradurga, sources said on Thursday, 13 June.
The footage showed a man, believed to be Renukaswamy, chatting with someone inside the car and then getting into the vehicle, police sources said. Police suspect that Renukaswamy, a fan of Darshan, was “lured” to go with his abductors.
The footage extracted on 8 June showed the car zooming past the highway. Police believed that Renukaswamy was inside the car.
“He was then driven straight to Bengaluru where he was tortured to death,” a police official said.
The Bengaluru Police have clamped prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) within a 200-metre radius of the Annapoorneshwari Nagar police station, where the suspects are being held and questioned, prohibiting public gathering.
(Edited by Shauqueen Mizaj, with PTI inputs)
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