Renukaswamy Murder Case: New photos of Darshan’s shirtless fan pleading for life surface online

New photos of Renukaswamy — taken mere minutes before his murder — emerged on Thursday amid continued furore over the case. The development came a day after the police filed a chargesheet against Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa and others.

Photos of the victim pleading for life have since gone viral on social media platforms. Another image showed Renukaswamy lying on the ground near a parked truck. Officials said the Darshan fan had been beaten up with clubs, given electric shock in his private parts, and thrown against the wall leading to multiple fractures. Injury marks could reportedly be seen all over his body.

"Fear writ large on a shirtless Renukaswamy’s face as he stared at the camera, the image is a tell-tale about the trauma he endured as he was given a torturous death," a police official told PTI.

According to police sources citing a forensic report enclosed within the chargesheet, Renukaswamy’s blood stains were found on Darshan’s clothes. According to the post-mortem report, he died due to shock and haemorrhage as a result of multiple blunt injuries.

The Bengaluru Police filed a "watertight" chargesheet against the actor and 16 other accused individuals on Wednesday following extensive investigation. The 3,991-page document (with seven volumes and 10 files) comprises 231 witness statements and technical and electronic evidence.

33-year-old Renukaswamy — a fan of the actor — was found dead next to a stormwater drain in early June. He had allegedly sent obscene messages to the actor's friend Pavithra Gowda which infuriated Darshan. Raghavendra, one of the accused who is part of Darshan's fan club in Chitradurga, had brought Renukaswamy to a shed in R R Nagar, on the pretext that the actor wanted to meet him. It was in this shed that he was allegedly tortured and murdered.

Police sources said Pavithra, who is accused number one, was the "major cause" for Renukaswamy’s murder, claiming that it has been proved from the probe that she instigated other accused, conspired with them, and took part in the crime.

(With inputs from agencies)