Bengaluru court extends judicial custody of actor Darshan till August 14

A Bengaluru court on Thursday extended the judicial custody of arrested Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, his friend Pavithra Gowda and 15 associates in the Renukaswamy murder case till August 14.
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The 24th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court, presided over by Judge Vishwanath C Gowder, issued the order after all the accused persons appeared for the hearing via video conference from Parappana Agrahara and Tumkur jails.
According to the police, 33-year-old Renukaswamy, a fan of the actor, had sent obscene messages to Gowda, which enraged Darshan and prompted him to plan and execute his murder. Renukaswamy’s body was found near a stormwater drain next to an apartment in Sumanahalli here on June 9.
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One of the accused, Raghavendra, who is part of Darshan’s fan club in Chitradurga, brought the fellow admirer of Darshan to a shed in R R Nagar here on the pretext that the actor wanted to meet him. It was in this shed that Renukaswamy was allegedly tortured and murdered.
According to the post-mortem report, Renukaswamy, a native of Chitradurga, died due to shock and haemorrhage as a result of multiple blunt injuries. Police sources said Pavithra Gowda, who is accused number one, was the “major cause” for Renukaswamy’s murder.
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They said that it has been proved from the probe that she instigated the other accused, conspired with them, and also took part in the crime.