NEW DELHI: Special Judge Vishwanath Channabasappa Gowder has granted police custody of all the accused in this case until June 16. In a significant development, a Bengaluru trial court on Tuesday ordered Kannada film actor Darshan and his girlfriend Pavithra Gowda, along with eleven other individuals accused in the Renuka Swamy murder case, to be held in police custody for six days, according to the Bar and Bench.
The incident began with the discovery of the dead body of 33-year-old Renuka Swamy on Sunday, June 9. Allegations suggest that Renuka succumbed to injuries sustained in an attack instructed by Darshan Thoogudeepa, following derogatory remarks made by Renuka Swamy against Pavithra Gowda on social media.
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Pavithra Gowda has been identified as the prime accused in the case, with Darshan listed as the second accused. The other accused parties in this case include K Pawan, Nandish, Karthik, Keshavamurthy, Nikhil Naik, M Lakhsmana, Raghvendra alias Raghu (president of the Chitradurga unit of Darshan fan association), R Nagaraju, and M Deepak Kumar.
Reports suggest that Swamy was brought to Bengaluru on June 8 following an exchange of indecent messages with Pavithra Gowda. It is alleged that he was subsequently assaulted and killed in a secluded area of Pattagers, with his body later disposed of in the Raj Canal near Kamkashi Palya under the cover of darkness. The local community alerted Kamakshi Palya police upon discovering the dead body.
Darshan Thoogudeepa was apprehended the following morning from a private hotel in Mysore, with Pavithra Gowda taken into custody by midday. The remaining accused parties were arrested by evening on the same day. A case has been filed against the accused parties under Sections 302 (murder), 120B (conspiracy), along with Section 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.
Darshan’s fans are shocked & disbelieving after the revelations that their favorite star could be involved in such a grisly crime. They had been gathering outside the police station where Darshan was being grilled, leading the police to resort to lathi charges to disperse them.