Two kidnappers involved in the murder of Renukaswamy, allegedly orchestrated by Darshan and his aides, were detained by Bengaluru police on Friday. Jagadish alias Jagga, an autorickshaw driver, and Anu Kumar alias Anu, both residents of Chitradurga town, were apprehended. Following Anu’s detention, his father, Chandranna, 60, suffered a fatal heart attack, police reported.
Ravi alias Ravishankar, the taxi driver who transported Renukaswamy from Chitradurga to Bengaluru, surrendered to Chitradurga police on Thursday. With his surrender, 16 of the 17 accused in the murder case have been detained. Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the final suspect, Raju.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Renukaswamy was lured to Darshan’s house in Bengaluru on June 8 by Raghavendra, president of the Chitradurga district fans’ association, along with Jagga and Kumar. Police also questioned Hemanth, Darshan’s social media handler, and Punith, the actor’s aide. A senior officer noted that Punith’s four-wheeler was used in the crime.
The investigation is also tracing the financial transactions involved. The four detained individuals admitted they were promised Rs 20 lakh to protect Darshan’s identity. Some accused claimed that Darshan and his girlfriend Pavithra Gowda provided Rs 30 lakh to Pavan, another accused, to pay the fall guys. Police commissioner B Dayananda confirmed the seizure of Rs 30 lakh from the accused.
