The Bengaluru Police filed a chargesheet against Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa in connection with murder of his fan Renukaswamy on Wednesday.
DCP (West) S Girish verified that chargesheet was filed to a court
S Girish, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West), verified that the chargesheet was filed to a court earlier that day. The chargesheet, consisting of 3,991 pages and eight volumes, along with forensic reports, was presented to the 24th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) around 10.45 am.
Girish supervised the inquiry conducted by Chandan Kumar, who is the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), and his team.
Darshan is in judicial custody till September 9
Darshan, who was arrested in the murder case, is in judicial custody till September 9.
The authorities have gathered more than 200 pieces of circumstantial evidence in the investigation, such as forensic analysis of bloodstains found on the apparel of Darshan and other suspects.
Also read: Kannada star Darshan partied on the day of fan’s murder, say sources
Evidence include bloodstains discovered on Pavithra’s footwear
The evidence consists of a photo reportedly taken from the accused person’s phone showing Renukaswamy begging not to be beaten, CCTV video of Darshan, and bloodstains discovered on actress Pavithra Gowda’s shoes, which she supposedly used to attack Renukaswamy.
Renukaswamy’s dead body was found on June 9
On June 9, the body of 33-year-old Renukaswamy, who worked as an auto driver, was discovered close to a flyover in Bengaluru.
The police stated that a gang, under Darshan’s orders, kidnapped and killed Renukaswamy due to offensive messages sent to Pavithra Gowda on social media.
The postmortem report revealed that Renukaswamy was brutally beaten and given electric shocks. His body had multiple bruise marks, a missing ear and ruptured testicles.
Also read: Kannada actor Darshan, wife Pavithra Gowda arrested in murder case
Following the widespread sharing of a photo showing Darshan Thoogudeepa smoking with gangster Nagaraj J alias Wilson Garden Naga, Srinivas alias Kulla Seena, and others at Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru, nine prison officials were suspended.
A video of the actor went viral as he was making a video call with a man named Sathya using a mobile phone, even though phones are prohibited in prisons.
Afterwards, Thoogudeepa was moved to the Ballari Central Prison. In addition to Thoogudeepa, several other suspects involved in Renukaswamy’s murder were transferred to prisons in various districts. Pawan K, Raghavendra, and Nandish were transferred to Mysuru jail, while Jagadish and Laxman were sent to Shivamogga jail, Dhanraj D to Dharwad jail, Vinay V to Vijayapura jail, Nagaraju to Kalaburagi jail, and Pradosh to Belagavi jail.