Actor Darshan Stood On Renukaswamy's Chest, Had Fall Guys Ready: Accomplice

The sensational murder of 33-year-old Renukaswamy, which involved popular Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, has taken a dramatic turn with one of the accused now seeking to turn an approver.

For the first time, a co-accused who was present when the victim was tortured and assaulted has given a detailed first-person account of what he claimed he witnessed on June 8, 2024.

Pradoosh S Rao, a close aide of Darshan, has approached a Bengaluru court seeking pardon. In his application, he said he is ready to make a full and true disclosure of everything about the crime and the role of the actor.

Read: Darshan Case Victim Had Ruptured Testicles, Face Eaten By Dogs

Darshan stood on the victim's chest and kicked him repeatedly before cooking up a false story to cover up his trail in the murder, Rao has alleged in his petition, which has been accessed by NDTV.

Renukaswamy was allegedly tortured and killed by Darshan and others at a shed in Kamakshipalya in Bengaluru on June 8, 2024, over lewd remarks on his co-star and girlfriend Pavithra Gowda's social media posts.

When he reached the shed, Rao stated, he saw Renukaswamy sitting on the floor. Several men were surrounding him, and Darshan was abusing him over messages that he allegedly sent to his co-star Gowda, Rao claimed.

Darshan also asked Gowda to hit him with her slipper, he added. Then, others took turns to allegedly beat him with sticks.

Darshan and Gowda were both arrested in 2024.

Read: Actor Darshan, Aides Beat Renuka Swamy With Sticks, Gave Electric Shocks

In his detailed account of the events, he said Darshan assaulted Renukaswamy with a nylon rope. The actor, popularly known as 'Challenging Star', kicked him on his neck and chest and then stood with both his legs on his chest, Rao alleged.

Rao further claimed Darshan handed him the victim's phone and asked him to check if he had sent messages to other women.

At one point, he claimed, he warned Darshan that the victim would die if the assault continued. However, he did not stop. The actor's driver Lakshman later informed him that Renukaswamy had died, the accused claimed.

Rao said he visited Darshan's house and informed him about the death. Then began the cover-up attempt. Rao said that the actor had threatened to kill himself if he didn't cooperate.

Darshan allegedly cooked up a fake murder story involving a financial dispute and lined up several men to take the blame. He brought out a bag of cash and gave Rs 15 lakh to two men to find people to surrender in the murder case, Rao alleged.

Renukaswamy's body was then put in a white Scorpio as they scouted for a location to dispose it, he claimed, adding that they eventually dumped it near a drain.

Several men surrendered at a police station two days later, while Rao claimed he and others were caught by the police.