In a tragic turn of events, the father of Anukumar, a key accused in the Renuka Swamy murder case linked to actor Darshan Thoogudeepa’s gang, has died of a heart attack. The shock of his son’s arrest proved too much for him to bear.
Anukumar, who had been on the run for four or five days, surrendered to the police on Friday. His father, upon learning of the arrest, immediately fell unconscious and succumbed to a heart attack.
The police have also arrested the sixth and seventh accused, Jagdish and Anu alias Anil, who have been taken to Bangalore for further questioning. The arrests were made by a team led by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Dinakar from the district headquarters town of Chitradurga.
Anukumar’s surrender came shortly after car driver Ravi had surrendered to the police on Thursday, directly presenting himself before DSP Dinakar. On Friday morning, both Anukumar and Jagdish followed suit and surrendered to the authorities.
Sources indicate that Jagdish and Anukumar were involved in the kidnapping of the deceased Renuka Swamy from Chitradurga. The investigation has revealed that Darshan, also known as ‘Challenging Star,’ and twelve of his close associates were arrested earlier for the murder of 33-year-old Renuka Swamy, who was reportedly a fan of the actor.
Renuka Swamy, a resident of Chitradurga, had allegedly posted comments on the social media account of Gowda, a small-time actress, accusing her of causing a rift between Darshan and his wife. These comments allegedly contained indecent language and offensive messages, according to police sources.
On Thursday, police arrested three individuals, including a close aide of Darshan, in connection with the case. CCTV footage purportedly showing the abduction of Renuka Swamy in a car has been recovered.
Sources have disclosed that one of the accused, Raghavendra, a member of Darshan’s fan club in Chitradurga, lured Renuka Swamy to a shed in R R Nagar under the pretext that Darshan wanted to meet him. It was in this shed that Renuka Swamy was allegedly tortured and killed. His body was later found near a storm-water drain next to an apartment in Sumanahalli on June 9.
The investigation team has reportedly gathered substantial evidence, including CCTV footage, that could establish Darshan’s presence during the alleged assault on Renuka Swamy, leading to his death. The victim had sustained multiple injuries on his body, confirming the brutality of the attack.
