Top Kannada hero Darshan, actress Pavithra held in murder case

Leading Kannada film actor Darshan Thoogudeepa and his close friend and actress Pavithra Gowda were arrested on Tuesday in connection with the murder of a man who allegedly made "derogatory" comments against her, police sources said.

The "Challenging Star" (as he is called) and 12 others were questioned by the police after being taken into custody earlier on Tuesday and subsequently arrested in connection with the alleged murder of a man, identified as Renukaswamy, whose body was found in Bengaluru on June 9.

It is alleged that Renukaswamy, who worked with a pharma company and hailed from the district headquarters town of Chitradurga, had made derogatory comments against Pavithra Gowda in social media posts, the sources said.

Both Darshan and Pavithra were produced before a Bengaluru magistrate's court, which remanded them to six days police custody.

The 47-year-old Darshan who featured in several commercially successful films including Kariya, Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna, Kalasipalya, Gaja, Navagraha, Saarathi, Bulbul, Yajamana, Robert and Kaatera, was picked up from a Mysuru hotel as he stepped out after working out in the gym there, in connection with the murder in Kamakshipalya area of Bengaluru, he said.

After the alleged killing at a shed at Pattanagere under the Kamakshipalya police station limits, allegedly belonging to one of the aides of Darshan, Renukaswamy's body was dumped into a stormwater drain in Kamakshipalya, police sources said.

"Based on the recovery of the 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 Renukaswamy," Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda said.

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

Further investigation led to the arrest of 11 suspects, police sources said, adding that based on their statement, Darshan and Pavithra were taken into custody.

"We are probing to find out if the actor was directly involved in the murder or was part of the conspiracy", a police official said.

Renukaswamy's parents were inconsolable after learning of the murder.

"He was my only son. Last year he got married. I spoke to him on Saturday only. I want justice," his father Srinivasaiah told reporters at Kamakshipalya police station.

The police have provided tight security at the house of Darshan, who made his debut as a lead actor in the movie Majestic in 2002, and has a huge fan following, at RR Nagar in Bengaluru.