Renukaswamy, who was allegedly tortured and murdered by a gang including actor Darshan over obscene messages sent to the actor’s close friend Pavithra Gowda, was reportedly a habitual offender and sent obscene messages to many women on Instagram, police sources said.
Sources said Renukaswamy was operating a fake Instagram account with the handle @goutham_ks_1990, using which he had sent obscene messages, his photographs, and even photos of his private parts to many women, especially those who did reels on the platform in the Kannada space. At least two women have now confirmed that they had received lewd messages and photographs from this account. One of them had even brought it to the notice of a police official in March 2024, but to no avail, sources said.
Renukaswamy had reportedly sent similar obscene messages and photos of his private parts to Pavithra, a close friend of actor Darshan, which enraged the actor, allegedly leading to his murder. While he operated under the name Goutham K.S. on Instagram, he was using his photo, which he had sent to Pavithra. She reportedly brought this to the notice of Pavan, one of her employees, who in turn brought it to the notice of Darshan.
Police said Pavan posed as Pavithra and chatted with Renukaswamy, when he gave his mobile number and that he was from Chitradurga working at a medical store chain. Darshan allegedly contacted Raghavendra, who was the president of Darshan Fans’ Club in the district. Armed with the photo and the phone number, Raghavendra tracked down Renukaswamy, abducted him and brought him to Bengaluru on June 8, after which he was allegedly tortured and killed.
Three bikes seized from Darshan’s residence
City police, investigating the murder case of Renukaswamy, seized three two-wheelers from the R.R. Nagar residence of actor Darshan on Tuesday, June 18. The three two-wheelers were allegedly used by the accused for logistics purposes on the fateful day of June 8 and later to dispose of the body. The three two-wheelers were registered in the names of Mariyappa C., Ramakrishna, and one of the accused Nandeesh. However, they were all parked in Darshan’s residence.
Meanwhile, the prime accused in the case Pavithra Gowda, presently lodged in Annapoorneshwari Nagar Police Station, complained of dizziness and was shifted to the Mallathahalli Primary Healthcare Centre near the station. She had low blood pressure, was administered saline and is said to be stable.
Published - June 18, 2024 08:24 pm IST
