Chargesheet filed against Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, 16 others in murder case

The Karnataka Police on Wednesday filed a chargesheet against Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, his partner Pavithra Gowda and 15 others in connection with a murder case, The Hindu reported.

All 17 are currently in prison for their alleged involvement in the murder of a 33-year-old man named Renukaswamy, who was a fan of the actor. Renukaswamy had allegedly been sending abusive messages and comments to Gowda.

On June 9, Renukaswamy’s body was recovered from a drain in the Summanahalli area of Bengaluru. Thoogudeepa was arrested on June 11 for the alleged murder.

On Wednesday, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) S Girish told The Indian Express that a 3,991-page chargesheet, along with forensic reports, had been submitted to the 24th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate at around 10.45 am.

While Gowda was named as the primary accused person in the chargesheet, Thoogudeepa was listed as the second, the newspaper reported quoting an unidentified police official.

The 17 accused persons have been booked for murder, abduction, criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence, among other charges. The chargesheet also lists 231 witnesses, The Hindu reported.

The chargesheet claims that an analysis of call records and mobile tower locations of the accused persons proved their presence at the crime scene and established a criminal conspiracy in the matter, The Hindu reported.

Photographs of Renukaswamy’s body were also recovered from...

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