Kannada film star Darshan Thoogudeepa and nine others were taken into custody on Tuesday morning in connection with a murder that took place in Bengaluru. The police on June 9 recovered the dead body of a man from a drain in Kamakshipalya in Bengaluru and identified the deceased as Renukaswamy, 33, a native of Chitradurga. Bengaluru City Police Commissioner B Dayananda said that it is alleged that Renukaswamy was sending abusive messages and comments to Darshan's wife which led to the incident. "Technical investigations and the CCTV footage helped to crack the case," he added. According to DCP (West) S Girish, Darshan, son of veteran actor Thogudeepa Srinivas, was detained from his farmhouse in Mysuru. Around 8 am, a security officer at Salarpuria Sattva apartment near Summanahalli found an unknown body in the Rajakaluve (drain) near the apartment on June 9. Initially, three of the accused who had surrendered before the police claimed that financial disputes led to the murder. Kamakshipalya police have registered the case and investigation is underway. Reacting on the actor’s alleged involvement in the crime, Home Minister G Parameshwara said only an investigation will reveal why Darshan's name came up in the case. “It is said that the first few arrested might have revealed his name. We cannot tell anything about his role now. The police are investigating the case," he said. According to local residents, Renukaswamy who got married last year, worked in a medical shop, and left for work as usual on June 8 morning. Police suspect that Renukaswamy was murdered later in the day and the accused dumped the body in the drain. “On June 8, his mother called him over the phone to come home for lunch. Then, he said that he was having food with his friends. The family came to know about the death only when the police officials called them on Monday morning,” said a neighbour.
