Renukaswamy, 33, a resident of Chitradurga, who was allegedly abducted, tortured, and killed in a shed in the city, had come to the shed voluntarily “excited to meet his matinee idol”, police investigation has now revealed.
Raghavendra, 43, a resident of Doddapete in Chitradurga, was a close aide of actor Darshan and ran his fan club in Chitradurga district. He tracked down Renukaswamy, who reportedly sent obscene messages to Pavithra Gowda, a close friend of Darshan.
“Renukaswamy turned out to be an ardent fan of Darshan. Raghavendra told Renukaswamy that he would arrange a meeting with Darshan and gave him the date and the victim walked into the trap enthusiastically excited to meet the actor,” the police said.
On the day, Renukaswamy came to Challakere Gate on his scooter and called Raghavendra. As part of spot inspection, the police on Thursday took Raghavendra to the spot, and recovered CCTV camera footage from in and around the area, where it was shown that Renukaswamy was passing by on his scooter heading towards Challakere Gate.
“As per the plan, Raghavendra hired a cab driven by Ravi and took Renukaswamy to Bengaluru, along with others. Raghavendra on the way called the other accused and informed them that he was coming with Renukaswamy to meet Darshan. The other accused received Renukaswamy and took him to Pattanagere shed, where he was allegedly tortured and killed. Darshan, whom Renukaswamy was excited to meet, was also involved,” the police said.
The police are now on the lookout for Jagadisha, Anu, Ravi, and Raju, who accompanied Renukaswamy from Chitradurga to Bengaluru, and handed him over to the other accused.
Role of a police sub inspector under scanner?
The accused in the Renukaswamy murder case had allegedly contacted a sub inspector in the Bengaluru City Police, and sought his advice to dispose of the victim’s body.
Sources said it was on his advice that the accused dumped the body in a storm-water drain (SWD) in Kamakshipalya early on June 9, anticipating that heavy rains would wash away the body.
The police are reportedly probing the alleged links of the said officer with the accused. However, senior officials refused to confirm the involvement of the police official in the case.
Doctor offered a bribe?
A doctor, part of the team that conducted the autopsy of the victim’s body, has reportedly informed the police that he was offered a bribe of ₹1 crore to fudge the report to show the cause of death as “natural”.
Police sources said that they have asked the doctor to file an official complaint to initiate investigation in this reguard. However, the doctor is yet to file the complaint, sources said.
