Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa and three other accused have been sent to judicial custody till July 4 in the Renukaswamy murder case.
The Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Prasanna Kumar provided an update on the ongoing investigation in the gruesome murder of Renukaswamy, who was a fan of acor Darshan. The SPP on Saturday did not request custody of the accused. Instead, all four accused have been remanded to judicial custody.
The court has ordered that Darshan, Pradosh, Vinay, and Dhanraj be held at Parappana Agrahara Central Prison. They will remain in judicial custody for 14 days, until the next hearing on July 4.
Darshan was arrested on June 11 for his alleged involvement in the murder of 33-year-old Renukaswamy. Renukaswamy, a fan of Darshan, had allegedly sent obscene messages to Darshan's co-star and friend Pavithra Gowda, who was also arrested in the case.
The messages angered the actor, who then allegedly engaged his fan club member to execute the murder, as per sources.
Sources added that Raghavendra, a member of Darshan's fan club, lured Renukaswamy to a shed in RR Nagar under the pretext of arranging a meeting with the actor. It is here that Renukaswamy was allegedly tortured and killed.
Some of the accused in police custody have confessed that Darshan paid Rs 30 lakh to kill Renukaswamy, dispose of the body and destroy evidence. They were also paid off to turn themselves in and take the blame for the murder, as per the investigation report.
The autopsy revealed Renukaswamy was brutally attacked with wooden clubs and died "due to shock and haemorrhage as a result of multiple blunt injuries sustained". The post-mortem report also indicated Renukaswamy was kicked and suffered a ruptured testicle.
According to the autopsy, Renukaswamy was given electric shocks prior to his death. Details of the alleged torture were revealed by an accomplice during questioning after his arrest, as per sources.
A total of 17 people are accused in the murder case.
