Leading Kannada film actor Darshan arrested in murder case, remanded to 6 days police custody
Bengaluru, Jun 11: Leading Kannada film actor Darshan Thoogudeepa and his close friend and actress Pavithra Gowda were arrested on Tuesday in connection with the murder of a man who allegedly made "derogatory" comments against her, police sources said.
The police questioned the "Challenging Star" and 12 others after taking them into custody in connection with the alleged murder of the man, identified as Renukaswamy, whose body was found here on June nine. Later, they all were arrested.
They were produced before a Bengaluru Magistrate court, which remanded them to six days police custody.
It is alleged that Renukaswamy, who worked with a pharma company and hailed from the district headquarters town of Chitradurga, had made "derogatory" comments against Gowda in social media posts, the sources said.
The 47-year-old Darshan, who featured in several commercially successful films including 'Kariya', 'Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna', 'Kalasipalya', 'Gaja', 'Navagraha', 'Saarathi', 'Bulbul', 'Yajamana', 'Robert' and 'Kaatera', was picked up from a Mysuru hotel as he stepped out after working out in the gym there, in connection with the murder here, police said.
After the alleged killing at a shed at Pattanagere under Kamakshipalya police station limits, allegedly belonging to one of the aides of Darshan, Renukaswamy's body was dumped into a nearby stormwater drain, police sources said.
"Based on the recovery of the dead body of an unidentified man and the injuries on his body, a murder case was registered. On the basis of CCTV footage and other technical evidence, the deceased was identified as Renukaswamy," Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda said.
Police came to know about the incident after some local residents alerted them about the body, which was later sent for an autopsy and the forensic report confirmed that he was murdered, police sources said.
Further investigation led to the arrest of 11 suspects, police sources said, adding, based on their statement, Darshan and Pavithra were taken into custody.
"We are probing to find out if the actor was directly involved in the murder or was part of the conspiracy," a police official said.
Renukaswamy's parents were inconsolable after learning about the murder.
"He was my only son. Last year he got married. I spoke to him on Saturday only. I want justice," his father Srinivasaiah told reporters at Kamakshipalya police station.
Earlier in the day, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said Darshan is being subjected to an inquiry by police.
"A person from Chitradurga was murdered in Bengaluru. In connection with that murder some people have been arrested, and during their inquiry Darshan's name has come, so he has been brought for inquiry," Parameshwara told reporters here.
"Until the investigation is over, nothing can be said. Whether he (Darshan) is involved or not. What is the reason for the murder. Why has his name come? All those things will be known only after the investigation. So at this point in time, nothing else can be said," he added.
Police have provided tight security at the house of Darshan, who made his debut as a lead actor in the movie 'Majestic' in 2002, and has a huge fan following, at RR Nagar here.
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Telangana CM urges Amit Shah to increase sanctioned strength of IPS officers in state
Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday night and urged him to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state in view of its growing administrative and security needs.
The two leaders also discussed the recent surrender of several senior Maoist leaders before the Telangana Police and other issues.
"During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the issue of Maoist surrenders and their rehabilitation. The chief minister informed Shah that significant improvements in policing have taken place in Telangana over the past two years," an official release here said.
Highlighting that 591 Maoists have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of society during this period, the chief minister said the state government was providing them compensation and rehabilitation assistance as per the rules.
He requested the Union home minister to extend financial support from the central government for development works in the backward regions of the state.
Reddy also urged Shah to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state from 83 to 105 in line with the state's growing administrative and security needs, the statement said.
The first cadre review after the formation of Telangana was conducted in 2016, while the next review, due in 2021, was delayed and finally carried out in 2025. Even then, only seven additional IPS officers were allocated to the state, the chief minister informed Shah and requested that the third cadre review be conducted in 2026 as per the schedule.
Reddy explained that Telangana, like the rest of the country, is facing several modern challenges, including cybercrime, drug trafficking, white-collar crimes, and other emerging security threats.
He highlighted the reorganisation of the Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri Police Commissionerates, the proposed formation of the Future City Commissionerate and the rapidly growing population in Hyderabad to underline the increasing administrative requirements of the state.
