Kannada actor Darshan, three others remanded in judicial custody

Thirteen years after going to jail in a domestic violence case, Kannada actor Darshan was remanded in judicial custody along with three of his associates till July 4 by the 24th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate on Saturday in the Renukaswamy murder case.

Darshan, Vinay, Dhanraj, and Pradosh were handed over to the prison authorities after completing the formalities.

The accused were in police custody for the last 13 days, while Pavithra Gowda, who is accused no. 1 and also Darshan’s partner, and 12 others were remanded in judicial custody on June 20.

The police have so far arrested 17 people in the case and efforts are on to retrieve the mobile data.

Remand application

As per the remand application, the police said that as the data of the mobile phones used by the accused and witnesses in the case had been erased, the police, with the court’s permission, had approached the service providers to re-access the data.

The police are also trying to retrieve the mobile phone of Renukaswamy, which was thrown into the storm-water drain to destroy evidence. The police are now seeking the help of service providers to get the call record details and data of the phone.

Investigation is also on to ascertain the source of the money Darshan had given to the other accused, which is crucial.

Fresh lead

Meanwhile, the police have obtained a fresh lead in the case and are trying to find out the details of the person who had visited the crime scene soon after the murder. The information was obtained from Pradosh during the course of the interrogation, sources said.

The investigating team also found that the instrument used to torture Renukaswamy had been purchased by the accused online and the document related to the online payment was in the process of recovery.

The police also raised concerns over the safety of the other accused and alleged that they faced danger from Darshan and his three associates in the central prison at Parappana Agrahara.

The police have registered a separate complaint in this regard and requested the court to shift them to the Tumakuru district prison.

The police alleged that the accused had also removed the clothes that Renukaswamy was wearing and destroyed them in a bid to tamper with the evidence.

Meanwhile, advocates representing the accused told the media that they would approach higher courts seeking respite to their clients through technical grounds and lapses committed by the police.