Exclusive/ Did Darshan Torture Renukaswamy With Belt Before Killing Him? Chilling Details of Murder Emerge

Bengaluru: Amid the ongoing investigation into the Renukaswamy murder case, shocking revelations have surfaced, exposing the harrowing torture the victim endured at the hands of Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa and his long-time partner of 10 years, actor Pavithra Gowda, before his death. For the unversed, Renukaswamy (33) was allegedly killed by Darshan and his associates in response to derogatory social media comments about Pavithra Gowda. Police sources revealed that it was Pavithra who instigated Darshan to punish Renukaswamy. "Accordingly, the plan was hatched," they said.

Renukaswamy Murder Case: Shocking Details Emerge

The Sequence of Events Leading to the Murder: Renukaswamy was kidnapped by Raghavendra, president of Akhila Karnataka Darshan Thoogudeepa Sena
and his team at 11 am on June 8 from Chitradurga and taken directly to a shed in Pattanagere, RR Nagar, around noon. Present at the shed were Vinay, Karthik, Pradosh, Nikhil, Keshavamurthy, Nandish, Deepak, and Nagaraj, who began beating Renukaswamy upon his arrival.

Darshan's Involvement: Darshan and Pavithra Gowda arrived at the shed around 5 pm. Darshan, already enraged, whipped Renukaswamy with a belt. After Darshan left around 5:30 pm, the other accused continued to beat Renukaswamy, throwing him against the wall and the floor in Darshan's presence to impress him.

Final Assault and Death: After Darshan left, the perpetrators again assaulted Renukaswamy, who was grievously injured but still alive. Renukaswamy succumbed to his injuries and breathed his last around 6:30 pm on June 8 in the shed.

Cover-Up: Following Renukaswamy's death, Pavan (househelp) informed Darshan about the death and took Rs 30 lakh in cash to manage the situation. The accused called a police sub-inspector, falsely reporting that a murder had occurred over a financial dispute.

Instructions from Police: The police sub-inspector instructed the accused to dispose of Renukaswamy's body elsewhere and to surrender themselves to the authorities. 

Who Was Renukaswamy?

The 33-year-old Renukaswamy, originally from Lakshmi Venkateswara Barangay in Chitradurga, worked at a pharmacy and was a devoted fan of Darshan. Married just last year, his wife is now three months pregnant. Renukaswamy allegedly sent obscene messages to Pavithra Gowda, blaming her for the rift between Darshan and his wife, Vijayalakshmi. Reports indicate that he forwarded explicit images of himself to Gowda, boasting that he was "better" than Darshan in this regard.

(With inputs from Prajwal Prasad)