Renukaswamy murder case: Sandalwood actor Darshan, Pavithra Gowda to remain in police custody till June 20

BENGALURU: Sandalwood hero Darshan, along with his girlfriend Pavithra Gowda and 11 associates, has been remanded in police custody until June 20 in connection with the brutal murder of 33-yearold Renukaswamy.
The actor and his aides, who were arrested last Tues day on charges of killing a fan who allegedly sent derogatory messages to Pavithra Gowda, were presented in court on Saturday.While the police sought a nine-day extension of custody, the court granted permission for five days to question 13 of the 17 accused in the case.
Those remanded in police custody are Pavithra Gowda (accused no. 1), Darshan (accused no. 2), Pavan, Raghavendra, Nandish, Vinay, Nagaraj, Lakshman, Deepak, Pradosh, Nikhil, Keshavamurthy and Anu Kumar. They were taken back to Annapoorneshwarinagar police station for further questioning.
‘Accused trying to destroy evidence’
Three more accused — Ravi, Raju and Karthik — were handed over to the judicial custody of Bengaluru central prison.
There was high drama in the court during the hearing when Narayana Swamy, counsel for Pavithra Gowda, argued that the police had seized her mobile phone without court permission and alleged that the statements of the accused were being leaked. “She is the only woman among the accused, and her police custody has caused her mental anguish. Police have already questioned her for the past six days,” he stated, urging the court not to extend her custody. Darshan’s counsel Anil Babu C stated that the actor was being wrongly targeted.
Special public prosecutor Prasanna Kumar P contended the accused need to be questioned more and are trying to destroy evidence, and hence their custody is essential.