Kannada actor Darshan, 9 others detained for alleged role in murder

Popular Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa and his wife, Pavithra Gowda, were arrested for their alleged role in the murder of a man in Bengaluru. Apart from the couple, 10 others were also taken into custody by the police in connection with the matter.The 47-year-old actor and his wife were picked up from his farmhouse in Mysuru and brought back to Bengaluru for questioning.According to reports, Darshan’s name popped up in a murder investigation after police identified that he was constantly in touch with an accused in a murder case of Renuka Swamy, a native of Chitradurga.
Renukaswamy was allegedly murdered for harassing Pavithra Gowda, a close friend of Darshan, online. Renukaswamy’s dead body was found near Sumannahalli Bridge in Bengaluru.So far, ten people have been arrested in the case.While addressing press, Commissioner Dayananda stated, “Based on the recovery of the dead body of an unidentified man and the injuries on his body, a murder case was registered. On the basis of CCTV footage and other technical evidence, the deceased was identified as Renuka Swamy,” He refrained from disclosing further details due to the ongoing investigation.He further said that it is being alleged that the deceased was sending abusive messages and comments to Darshan’s wife which led to the incident.
Darshan debuted as a lead actor in the movie “Majestic” in 2002. He has starred in several commercially successful films, including “Kariya”, “Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna”, “Kalasipalya”, “Gaja”, “Navagraha”, “Saarathi”, “Bulbul”, “Yajamana”, “Robert”, and “Kaatera”.
However, Darshan, son of veteran actor Thoogudeepa Srinivas, has been into controversies right from the early days of his acting career.In 2011, Darshan was arrested by the police for allegedly assaulting his wife Vijayalakshmi and was lodged in prison. However, the marital discord was later settled outside the court and he issued a public apology.The same year, Kannada film producer Bharat lodged a complaint against Darshan for threatening him.In January 2023, the forest department raided Darshan’s farm house in Mysuru and seized four bar-headed geese and other migratory birds. He was booked under sections of Wildlife Protection Act (WPA) 1972 for illegally possessing bar-headed geese. The species falls under Schedule 2 of the WPA.

(State Coorrespondent)