<p>Bengaluru: Popular Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa and 12 of his close associates were arrested on Tuesday for the sensational murder of a 33-year-old man, who posted offensive messages about the film star's female friend, Pavithra Gowda, on Instagram. </p><p>Darshan, 47, an A-lister in Kannada cinema, was picked up from a luxury hotel in Mysuru, his hometown, on Tuesday morning, sending shockwaves through Karnataka. </p><p>While this isn't Darshan's first brush with the law, the murder allegation might cast a shadow on his illustrious career that has earned him the sobriquet 'Challenging Star'. </p><p>Darshan and the 12 others are accused of murdering Renukaswamy, a resident of Chitradurga and a fan of the actor's. </p><p>Given the gravity of the offence, a Bengaluru court has sent the actor and the other suspects in six days of police custody. </p><p>"Preliminary investigations revealed that the incident occurred due to the derogatory messages," Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda told a news conference. "CCTV footage and technical evidence helped us identify the victim." </p><p>Police said Renukaswamy targeted Pavithra in his Instagram comments, suggesting she was a "third wheel" between Darshan and his wife Vijayalakshmi. </p>.Kannada actors who spent time in jail.<p>Riled by the comments, Pavithra, a small-time actress in her late-30s, complained to Darshan. </p><p>Police believe that the actor decided to confront Renukaswamy. He asked Raghavendra, a member of his fan association in Chitradurga, to bring Renukaswamy to Bengaluru, police sources said. </p><p>On the evening of June 8, Raghavendra brought Renukaswamy to a shed in western Bengaluru's RR Nagar. The land belongs to Pattanagere Jayanna, a local businessman and the uncle of one of the suspects. </p><p>Some of the other suspects were already present in the shed. They abused and beat up Renukaswamy, dismissing his protestations that he was also a fan of the actor's. Police suspect Darshan, too, was present at the time. </p>.<p>CCTV footage reviewed by <em>DH</em> shows two cars — a dark SUV and a red Jeep Wrangler, purportedly belonging to Darshan — leaving the shed at 3:27:13 am on June 9. </p><p>Around 8 am on June 9, a security officer at the Sattva Anugraha apartment complex in Sumanahalli found the body discarded on the road next to a stormwater drain. He called the police. There were injury marks on the head, face, ears and other body parts. Dogs had gnawed at some places. </p><p>After identifying the victim, the jurisdictional Kamakshipalya police opened a case of murder and destroying evidence. </p>.<p>While police launched an investigation, four suspects — including Karthik and Keshava Murthy — surrendered before the police the same day, claiming they had killed Renukaswamy over a financial dispute. </p><p>However, police found their confessions suspicious and decided to probe further. The suspects revealed the names of their accomplices and eventually implicated Darshan, a well-placed police source told <em>DH</em>. </p><p>A police team was sent to Mysuru to detain Darshan. Pavithra and seven other suspects were also arrested. </p><p>After over seven hours of questioning, police took Darshan and all other suspects for medical check-ups at to Bowring Hospital in Shivajinagar. The 24th ACMM court remanded all of them in police custody for six days. </p><p>Police have also invoked IPC Section 120B related to criminal conspiracy. </p><p>The other suspects are Vinay V, Nagaraju R, Laxman M, Pradosh S, Pawan K, Deepak Kumar M, Nandish and Nikhil Nayak.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: Popular Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa and 12 of his close associates were arrested on Tuesday for the sensational murder of a 33-year-old man, who posted offensive messages about the film star's female friend, Pavithra Gowda, on Instagram. </p><p>Darshan, 47, an A-lister in Kannada cinema, was picked up from a luxury hotel in Mysuru, his hometown, on Tuesday morning, sending shockwaves through Karnataka. </p><p>While this isn't Darshan's first brush with the law, the murder allegation might cast a shadow on his illustrious career that has earned him the sobriquet 'Challenging Star'. </p><p>Darshan and the 12 others are accused of murdering Renukaswamy, a resident of Chitradurga and a fan of the actor's. </p><p>Given the gravity of the offence, a Bengaluru court has sent the actor and the other suspects in six days of police custody. </p><p>"Preliminary investigations revealed that the incident occurred due to the derogatory messages," Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda told a news conference. "CCTV footage and technical evidence helped us identify the victim." </p><p>Police said Renukaswamy targeted Pavithra in his Instagram comments, suggesting she was a "third wheel" between Darshan and his wife Vijayalakshmi. </p>.Kannada actors who spent time in jail.<p>Riled by the comments, Pavithra, a small-time actress in her late-30s, complained to Darshan. </p><p>Police believe that the actor decided to confront Renukaswamy. He asked Raghavendra, a member of his fan association in Chitradurga, to bring Renukaswamy to Bengaluru, police sources said. </p><p>On the evening of June 8, Raghavendra brought Renukaswamy to a shed in western Bengaluru's RR Nagar. The land belongs to Pattanagere Jayanna, a local businessman and the uncle of one of the suspects. </p><p>Some of the other suspects were already present in the shed. They abused and beat up Renukaswamy, dismissing his protestations that he was also a fan of the actor's. Police suspect Darshan, too, was present at the time. </p>.<p>CCTV footage reviewed by <em>DH</em> shows two cars — a dark SUV and a red Jeep Wrangler, purportedly belonging to Darshan — leaving the shed at 3:27:13 am on June 9. </p><p>Around 8 am on June 9, a security officer at the Sattva Anugraha apartment complex in Sumanahalli found the body discarded on the road next to a stormwater drain. He called the police. There were injury marks on the head, face, ears and other body parts. Dogs had gnawed at some places. </p><p>After identifying the victim, the jurisdictional Kamakshipalya police opened a case of murder and destroying evidence. </p>.<p>While police launched an investigation, four suspects — including Karthik and Keshava Murthy — surrendered before the police the same day, claiming they had killed Renukaswamy over a financial dispute. </p><p>However, police found their confessions suspicious and decided to probe further. The suspects revealed the names of their accomplices and eventually implicated Darshan, a well-placed police source told <em>DH</em>. </p><p>A police team was sent to Mysuru to detain Darshan. Pavithra and seven other suspects were also arrested. </p><p>After over seven hours of questioning, police took Darshan and all other suspects for medical check-ups at to Bowring Hospital in Shivajinagar. The 24th ACMM court remanded all of them in police custody for six days. </p><p>Police have also invoked IPC Section 120B related to criminal conspiracy. </p><p>The other suspects are Vinay V, Nagaraju R, Laxman M, Pradosh S, Pawan K, Deepak Kumar M, Nandish and Nikhil Nayak.</p>
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