It's Pavitra who demanded murder of Renukaswamy: Karnataka Police

Bengaluru: More details related to the chilling murder case involving Kannada film star Darshan Thogudeepa are out now. It was Darshan’s friend, actress Pavitra Gowda, who ordered the killing of Renukaswamy (33), police stated. 

According to police, Pavitra allegedly asked Darshan to intervene when Renukaswamy repeatedly posted lewd comments on Pavitra’s social media posts. It is owing to Pavitra’s demands that Darshan hired hitmen and orchestrated the murder, police said.

Police have named Pavitra Gowda as the first accused in the case of murdering Renukaswamy, a native of Chitradurga. Actor Darshan has been named the second accused. Apart from them, 11 others have also been reportedly arrested for their involvement in the case. Four more individuals, including a woman, are yet to be arrested, police said. They are absconding.

Renukaswamy, an employee at a pharmacy in Chitradurga, was an ardent fan of Darshan, better known as the ‘Challenging Star’ among the fan circles. However, he did not approve of the alleged relationship between Darshan, a married man, and Pavitra. Renukaswamy believed this tarnished Darshan’s reputation. He reportedly created a fake Instagram account and began sending obscene messages to the actress and posting lewd comments on her posts.

Raghavendra, a convener of his fan club in Chitradurga, was allegedly behind identifying Renukaswamy. Raghavendra also allegedly brought Renukaswamy from Chitradurga to the crime scene. It was alleged that Darshan also came here and beat the victim with a belt.

Darshan was allegedly kept in the loop by the goons about everything from kidnapping the man, killing him and then abandoning his body. Police have reportedly received evidence to prove that the hired goons contacted Darshan via phone multiple times on the night of the murder.

The gang reportedly demanded Rs 30 Lakh from the actor for their actions. The money was allegedly handed over to them via Pradosh, another accused in the case. It was only after being assured of legal aid that the gang allegedly abandoned the body and surrendered to the police.

Renukaswamy’s body was found abandoned in a sewer in Kamakshipalya. A food delivery agent was the first to spot the body that was being devoured by dogs. The police arrived and shifted the body to the hospital and also identified Renukaswamy. Following this, two people surrendered to the Kamakshipalya Police confessing to the murder. They gave a statement that the murder was the result of a financial dispute. 

However, when police found inconsistencies in their statements, they conducted a detailed investigation which led them to unearth the alleged role of Darshan and others. Subsequently, Darshan and Pavitra were arrested from their farmhouse in Mysore on Tuesday. 

All the 13 accused, who were produced in court, have been remanded to police custody for six days. On Wednesday, Darshan, Pavitra and the other accused were brought to the shed where the crime was committed for evidence collection.