One of the key accused in the Renukaswamy murder case, in which actor Darshan and his friend Pavithra Gowda have been arrested, has reportedly confessed to the crime and is reportedly prepared to become an approver. If this comes through, it will pose a big setback for Darshan, sources said.
Deepak Kumar, presently accused no. 13, has reportedly volunteered to be an approver in the case, the sources said. Deepak was in the shed, the scene of the crime, when Renukaswamy was killed, and he later distributed ₹5 lakh each to the four persons who surrendered to the police, confessing to the crime in a bid to protect Darshan, the police claimed.
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The actor has reportedly been denying any role in the murder. He has conceded that he went to the shed and left early, but has claimed that he was not involved in the murder. However, Deepak has allegedly told to the police that Darshan along with other accused tortured the victim and that it was the actor who kicked Renukaswamy on the private parts, which may have caused his death.
Renukaswamy had sent an obscene photo to Pavithra Gowda on social media, which allegedly prompted Darshan to get Renukaswamy to the shed where he was allegedly tortured and killed.
The police have now separated Deepak from the other accused and are corroborating his statement with the evidence from the autopsy report which mentioned that Renukaswamy’s body had multiple injuries and bruises, indicating that he was tortured before being killed.
The police also seized a goods autorickshaw on Thursday, based on the statement of the accused that they had rammed Renukaswamy’s head against the vehicle.
Deepak reportedly distributed ₹5 lakh each on behalf of Darshan to Raghavendra, Karthik, Nikhil Nayak, and Keshavamurthy to take the blame and surrender to the police. He had reportedly assured the four that each would be given ₹30 lakh and the remaining money would be given to their families after their arrest.