Three more held in Renukaswamy murder case

City police arrest three more suspects in Renukaswamy murder case involving actor Darshan; Chief Minister denies VIP treatment allegations.

The city police have arrested three more people in the Renukaswamy murder case, in which Kannada film actor Darshan has been arrested, after the trio surrendered before the police in Chitradurga.

The arrested have been identified as Ravi, the driver of the car in which Raghavendra, president of Darshan Fans’ Club in Chitradurga, brought Renukaswamy to Bengaluru, and two of his associates Anil Kumar and Jagadeesh, both auto drivers. While Ravi surrendered on Thursday night, the other two surrendered on Friday.

Anil Kumar and Jagadeesh accompanied Raghavendra and brought Renukaswamy to Bengaluru, where he was allegedly tortured and killed by a gang, including Darshan and his close friend Pavithra Gowda. Anil Kumar, Jagadeesh, and Ravi handed over the victim to the other accused at a shed at R.R. Nagar here, as per the task assigned to them. They then waited for payment and later came to know that Renukaswamy was dead.

The other accused came out of the shed and asked Anil Kumar, Jagadeesh, and Ravi whether they would take the blame in exchange for money, to which the trio refused and returned to Chitradurga with the vehicle fare, sources said. After learning about Darshan’s arrest, the trio fled their homes and were at large.  

Meanwhile, the city police have recovered ₹30 lakh in cash from the house of Pradosh, one of the accused arrested. The money was kept ready to be handed over to the four who took the blame and surrendered before the Kamakshipalya police, sources said.

Till date, the Kamakshipalya police have got 21 statements from the accused and witnesses, apart from other technical evidence and are confident of building a strong case, mainly against the prime accused in the case — Darshan and Pavithra Gowda. However, the duo have maintained that they met the victim in the shed, warned him not to post obscene messages again and left the place and that they had no role in the murder.

A day after the Annapoorneshwarinagar police put up a shamiana around the station to block media and public view and amid allegations of “VIP treatment” for the accused at the station, a group of city-based advocates sought footage of the CCTV cameras in the station under the Right to Information Act, 2005.