CCTV footage from early hours of June 9 shows Darshan’s SUV near the crime scene

Bengaluru: Kannada actors Darshan Thoogudeepa and Pavitra Gowda have been sent to Police custody for six days in connection with the murder of Renuka Swamy, a man from Chitradurga.

Darshan, Pavitra and 11 others were arrested yesterday for their alleged involvement in                            the murder.

Following the arrest, Darshan and two other detainees underwent a medical check-up at Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital in the evening before being presented before the Court.

The Police sought custody of the accused for 10 days because they had to take them to the scene of the crime to conduct mahazar, retrieve their call data records and also recover weapons allegedly used to commit the murder.

Advocate seeks judicial custody

Darshan’s lawyer Mounesh pleaded that the actor was cooperating with the probe, his mobile phones had already been seized, and the body of the deceased had been recovered, so there was no need for Police custody. Therefore, the accused be remanded to judicial custody, he requested.

However, Judge Vishwanath C. Gowdar ordered Darshan, Pavitra and the other accused to six days in Police custody till June 17. The names of the other accused, who are alleged to have assisted Darshan in the crime, are Pavan, Vinay, Pradosh, Nandeesha, Deepak, Lakshman, Nagaraju, Karthik, Nikhil, Keshavmurthy and Raghavendra.

Weeps before Judge

Darshan, who is known for his daring characters on screen and also for his rude behaviour on a couple of occasions off screen, broke down before the Judge when the Police produced him. He and his close acquaintance, Pavitra Gowda, were seen constantly shedding tears before the Judge before being remanded to Police custody.

Darshan’s SUV near crime scene

Hours after Kannada’s ‘A-grade’ star Darshan’s arrest, a video surfaced online, potentially increasing trouble for the actor. The Police released a video showing Darshan’s red SUV allegedly near the location where Renuka Swamy’s body was disposed of. The CCTV footage is from the early hours of June 9, 2024.

In the video, a Scorpio SUV, purportedly carrying Renuka Swamy’s body and Darshan’s close associates, is seen. This SUV was reportedly used to dispose of the body. The video also shows a red SUV allegedly belonging to Darshan, but it remains unclear if the actor was inside the vehicle at that time.