Bengaluru: Actor Darshan Thoogudeepa’s counsel on Saturday said that the team will work under the guidance of senior criminal lawyer CV Nagesh.
“As per the current information, senior advocate CV Nagesh will work with us in the case. Work will be done under his guidance,” Ranganath Reddy, the actor’s counsel, told reporters.
Darshan and his three associates were remanded in judicial custody till July 4 on Saturday. The other 13, including Darshan's close friend Pavithra Gowda, were sent to jail on June 20. They were recently arrested for the murder of Renukaswamy from Chitradurga.
Suspects used ‘web apps’
The final remand application filed before the magistrate on Saturday noted that all the arrested suspects in the case had used ‘web apps’. However, nothing more was specified.
The remand application also noted that since the "data was inactivated", the probe team had sought new SIM cards in the name of the suspects and permission was sought from the court to reaccess them.
The probe also found that Dhanraj D, who used an ‘Electric Shock Torch’ to administer shocks to Renukaswamy, had purchased the device online. The probe team was yet to gather the required documents to substantiate the purchase, the remand application noted.
‘Important evidence’ recovered
The probe team has also recovered ‘important’ evidence from the arrested suspects and recovered a ledger from the shed in RR Nagar where Renukaswamy was tortured and killed. Police were also probing another lead given by Pradosh of someone else who visited the crime scene after the murder, and were ascertaining the source of the money allegedly given by Darshan to the fall guys and to cover up the murder.
The court has also granted permission to the investigators to “unseal and reaccess” mobile phones recovered from Darshan, Dhanraj, Vinay V and Pradosh.
The probe team has further sought permission from the court to seek a new SIM card in Renukaswamy’s name and reaccess it as his mobile device was disposed of in a drain in Sumanhalli where his dead body was first discovered on June 9. The call detail records (CDRs) will be crucial to the case, while the mobile was yet to be recovered.
The investigators also claimed that Renukaswamy's clothes were discarded in an attempt to destroy the evidence and a statement was recorded from one of the suspects, who'd disposed of the trousers.
Sections invoked under IPC
302 - Punishment for murder
201 - Causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender
120B - Punishment of criminal conspiracy
364 - Kidnapping or abducting in order to murder
355 - Assault or criminal force with intent to dishonour person, otherwise than on grave provocation
384 - Punishment for extortion
143 - Unlawful assembly
147 - Punishment for rioting
148 - Rioting, armed with deadly weapon
149 - Every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object
Published 22 June 2024, 16:59 IST