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'Brutal and barbaric': Autopsy reveals chilling details of Renukaswamy's murder linked to actor Darshan
Kannada actor Darshan and his associates have been arrested in connection with the murder of Renukaswamy.
The autopsy report of 33-year-old Renukaswamy, allegedly killed by Kannada actor Darshan and his associates, revealed that he died “due to shock and hemorrhage as a result of multiple blunt injuries sustained”, according to India Today. The report also indicated that he was kicked and suffered a ruptured testicle and had been given electric shocks prior to his death, details of which were corroborated by an accomplice during police questioning.
HT earlier reported that Renukaswamy sustained 15 grievous inuries all over his body and the forensic evidence suggested his head was forcefully rammed into a vehicle.
“There was bleeding in his hands, feet, back and chest. He died of blood clots due to the severe assault. He was assaulted using a wooden stick and a belt. Additionally, the post-mortem report have revealed that dogs had eaten the man’s face and some parts of his dead body,” an officer aware of the report told HT.
A second officer said that police have recovered several objects used to torture the victim, including wooden logs, a leather belt, and a rope.
Darshan, his former co-star and friend Pavithra Gowda, and 15 others have been arrested in connection with the case. Renukaswamy reportedly sent offensive messages to Gowda on social media, which angered the actor. Raghavendra, a member of Darshan's fan club, reportedly lured Renukaswamy to a shed used to park seized vehicles in south-western Bengaluru under the pretense of arranging a meeting with the actor, where he was allegedly tortured and killed.
Read: Actor Darshan's manager died by suicide in Bengaluru farm house
Reports suggest some of the accused confessed that Darshan paid ₹30 lakh to kill Renukaswamy, dispose of the body, and destroy evidence. According to NDTV, police believe Darshan may have paid as much as ₹ 50 lakh to four men involved in the planning and execution of Renukaswamy's murder.
On Sunday, police seized a car allegedly used in kidnapping Renukaswamy. The vehicle was found parked at a house in Ayyanahalli village in Chitradurga district.
Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda indicated that Renukaswamy was murdered in a "horrific, brutal and barbaric" manner.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Dayananda said: "It is a heinous crime committed in a horrific manner and we have to ensure that the accused in the case are punished and we have to deliver justice to the victim's family and our officers and staff are working in this direction."
"With regard to the investigation of the murder case (Renukaswamy murder) registered in Kamakshipalya police station, wherein an individual has been killed in a very brutal and barbaric way, so far the police have arrested 17 persons and all the 17 persons have been taken into police custody and their interrogation is being done," he said.
According to a detailed version of events leading to the crime offered by the police, Darshan’s wife Vijayalakshmi and Gowda got into a very public spat on social media in January after the latter posted videos celebrating a decade-long relationship with the actor. As their posts went viral, Renukaswamy, an employee at a medical store, who did not know either Vijayalakshmi or Gowda personally, allegedly started posting derogatory messages against Gowda on her social media profiles.
Police said that Renukaswamy’s intensive trolling of Gowda over several months ended up becoming the trigger for the murder, with Darshan asking the district president of his fan club, Raghavendra R, to first gather information about Renukaswamy and then arrange for him to be brought to Bengaluru on the pretext of meeting the actor.
