Actor Darshan Thoogudeepa held for murder of fan who sent abusive messages to friend | Bangalore News

Bengaluru City Police Commissioner B Dayananda said their investigations so far suggest that Darshan was angry with Renukaswamy for allegedly sending abusive comments and messages to Pavithra on Instagram.

On June 9, police received a call from a locality near Summanahalli in Bengaluru after a security guard at an apartment complex spotted a body in a drain. While the police were registering a murder case and trying to establish the identity of the victim, four men showed up at the Kamakshipalya police station, claiming to have killed Renukaswamy in a shed near RR Nagar following a financial dispute.

As police established the identity of the victim, they pulled out his call records (CDR) and those of the men who had surrendered. A police officer said: “At first it was all quite confusing. Renukaswamy was from Chitradurga and we were wondering why he had come to Bangalore and why he had visited the shed near RR Nagar, 10 km from where the body was found. Eventually, our investigations and interrogations revealed that Renukaswamy was kidnapped at the behest of Darshan and killed in the shed.

Regarding the possible reason for the surrender of some of the accused, a police source said that the accused were probably trying to mislead them and did not think that their mobile phones would be checked.

On Tuesday morning, a team of police arrested Darshan from Mysuru as he was leaving a gym. He was brought to Bangalore for questioning and produced before the court along with the other accused.

Darshan's relationship with Pavithra has been a much-discussed topic in the Kannada film industry and among his fans.

In January this year, the actor's wife Vijayalakshmi and Pavithra were involved in a public spat on social media over Darshan. It all started when Vijayalakshmi posted her photo with her husband and son on Instagram. Hours later, Pavithra posted a video with a collage featuring photographs of her with Darshan and her daughter, with the caption: A decade later; forever It's been 10 years of our relationship.

Vijayalakshmi responded angrily, posting photographs of Pavithra with her daughter and husband and threatening legal action against her.

Darshan, who has acted in nearly 50 Kannada films and is nicknamed 'Box Office Sultan' due to his string of hits, has a huge fan base in Karnataka. Many of her fans were reportedly upset with Pavithra for her alleged relationship with Darshan.

Police claim that Renukaswamy was a fan of Darshan and allegedly sent lewd comments and abusive messages to Pavithra on Instagram.

They say that when Darshan came to know about the messages, he looked through Renukaswamy's social media and found that he was from Chitradurga, more than 200 km away. Darshan then allegedly got in touch with Raghavendra, who runs a Darshan fan club in the same city, and told him to bring Renukaswamy to Bengaluru. Raghavendra is one of the accused in this case.

Police claim that on June 8, Raghavendra met Renukaswamy and took him to Bangalore in his car. In Bangalore, he was taken to a shed in the RR Nagar area which served as a parking lot for vehicles seized by banks. It was here that Renukaswamy was allegedly attacked. He later died from his injuries. The accused then allegedly dumped the body in a drain near Summanahalli.

According to police, Darshan and Pavithra were present at the shed when Renukaswamy was brought there and assaulted.

Commissioner Dayananda said, “Technical investigations and CCTV footage helped solve the case. »

In Chitradurga, a neighbor of the victim said Renukaswamy was last seen on June 8, when he was leaving home to go to work. Police suspect that Renukaswamy was murdered later in the day.

On June 8, Renukaswamy's mother called him on the phone and asked him to come home for lunch. He told her he would eat with his friends. The family only learned of the death when police called them on the morning of June 10, the neighbor said, adding that Renukaswamy got married only last year.

On Tuesday, when Darshan was produced in court, a large group of his fans waited outside, claiming that he was innocent. He remained in police custody for six days.

Darshan has found himself in several controversies over the years. In 2011, he spent time in prison after his wife accused him of assaulting her. However, the marital discord was apparently resolved after Darshan issued a public apology.

In 2021, Kannada film producer Bharat filed a complaint against Darshan for threatening him. In January 2023, the forest department raided Darshan's farm in Mysuru, seized four bar-headed geese and other migratory birds and booked him under sections of the Wildlife Protection Act.

In January this year, Darshan was accused of flouting the 1 am deadline while partying at a Bangalore pub with other artists.

Son of veteran Kannada cinema actor Thoogudeepa Srinivas, Darshan started off as a light boy before working as an assistant to veteran cinematographer BC Gowrishankar. After making his acting debut in a television series, Darshan played supporting roles in films. His major breakthrough as a hero came in 2001 with the film Majestic. By 2011, he was an established actor with a huge fan base. He has also been a voice actor for Kannada animated shows.