Kannada actor Darshan arrested for alleged murder of fan: Timeline of a murder mystery straight out of a movie

Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa and his partner of 10 years, actor Pavithra Gowda, have been ordered by the court to be remanded to judicial custody till June 17. The couple was arrested by Bengaluru police on June 11 for their alleged involvement in Renukaswamy's murder. A timeline of events so far. (Also Read: After Darshan's arrest, his partner and Kannada actor Pavithra Gowda in custody in murder case)

June 8: 33 year old pharmacist Renukaswamy, a fan of Darshan, allegedly sent abusive messages to Pavithra on Instagram after she revealed her decade-old relationship with the actor. Darshan married Vijayalakshmi in 2003 but is in a relationship with Pavithra.

When Darshan reads the messages, he discovers that Renukaswamy lives in Chitradurga, 200 km away. Darshan reportedly contacted Raghavendra, who runs his fan club there, and asked him to bring Renukaswamy to Bengaluru.

Renukaswamy was allegedly taken to a shed in RR Nagar, where he was allegedly assaulted and died of multiple injuries. His body was thrown into a drain near Summanahalli. According to police, Darshan and Pavithra were present in the shed when the assault and murder took place.

PTI quoted police sources as saying, “Darshan hit Renukaswamy with a belt. After he lost consciousness, his accomplices beat him with sticks. Additionally, they threw him against a wall, which proved fatal.

June 9: Police receive a call after a food delivery driver spots the body in the sewers due to stray dogs. Police registered a case of murder after noticing injury marks on the body.

June 10: Two men came to the Kamakshipalya police station and claimed to have killed Renukaswamy in a shed near RR Nagar following a financial dispute. After the police extract the call records, Darshan and Pavithra's alleged connection with the case is explored. They find out that Renukaswamy was brought to Bengaluru on Darshan's request.

June 11: Police picked up Darshan on Tuesday morning from a hotel in Mysuru. He was taken to Annapoorneshwari Nagar police station for questioning. Pavithra was also arrested by the police from her residence near RR Nagar. Police had to erect barricades around the Bangalore police station to hold back enthusiastic supporters demanding his release.

Other accused, including K Pawan, Nandish, Karthik, Keshavamurthy, Nikhil Naik, M Lakshmana – president of Chitradurga unit of Darshan Fan Association Raghavendra alias Raghu, R Nagaraju and M Deepak Kumar, were arrested for their alleged involvement .

After medical examinations, all the accused, Pavithra listed as A1 and Darshan as A2, were produced before the court, where a judge remanded them in police custody till June 17.

TV9 Kannada reports that more than 10 packets of donne biryani were brought to the Annapoorneshwari Nagar police station for dinner.

June 12: Bengaluru police seize cars used in the murder, including a Jeep belonging to Darshan. The police are also taking four of the accused to the spot to recreate the crime scene, according to PTI.

Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said the police were given a free hand in the case against “repeat offender” Darshan, according to the news portal.