Murder case: Actor Darshan arrested

Bengaluru, NT Bureau: Sending shock waves through the Kannada film industry and among his many fans, leading Kannada film actor Darshan Thoogudeepa was taken into custody on Tuesday in connection with a murder case and is being questioned.

Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda disclosed this on Tuesday. According to police sources, Darshan and 13 others, who have also been detained, are being questioned in connection with the alleged murder of a 33-year-old man, identified as Renukaswamy, whose body was found here on June 9.

It is alleged that Renukaswamy, who worked with a pharmacy company and hailed from Chitradurga, had made derogatory comments against actress Pavithra Gowda, who is reportedly a friend of Darshan, in one of his social media posts, the sources said.

The actress has also been detained by police for questioning. Darshan, 47, who featured in several commercially successful Kannada films, was picked up from a Mysuru hotel on Tuesday.

Renukaswamy was killed at a shed reportedly belonging to one of the aides of Darshan in Pattanagere here. His body was later dumped in a stormwater drain in Kamakshipalya, police sources said.

The jurisdictional police came to know about the murder after some local residents alerted them about the body, which was sent for an autopsy. The forensic report has confirmed that he was murdered, police sources said.

Darshan, 12 others, in six-day police custody

Darshan, Pavithra and 11 other suspects in the case were presented before the 24th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court on Nrupathunga road in the evening following the actor's medical test at Bowring Hospital.

The court granted the request to interrogate the accused in custody for six days.