Bengaluru: In a case of murdering a man, allegedly over sending obscene messages, Karnataka Police arrested actor Darshan Thoogudeepa and his girlfriend and actress Pavithra Gowda. The victim, identified as Renuka Swamy, allegedly posted the problematic messages on social media about Pavithra, NDTV reported.
Police say that Swamy, who worked for a pharmacy company, also sent obscene messages to actress Pavithra.
The 47-year-old "Challenging Star" Darshan was detained from his farmhouse in Mysore. He was in a film suit then.
On June 9th, Swamy's body was found being dragged from drains by stray dogs in Bengaluru. A resident of Chitradurgam, Swamy's body was found more than 200 km away from home. Police said that they found marks of injuries on the body, and investigations followed took them to actor Darshan. While the police have already arrested nine people in the case, they are investigating whether there is direct involvement of both actors in the heinous crime.
Police have deployed tight security for Darshan's residence in Bengaluru's RR Nagar.
The actor debuted as the lead in the 2002 film "Majestic". He is known for his roles in films like Anatharu (2007), Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna (2012) and Kaatera (2023). He has a history of involving in controversies. Around a decade ago, he was jailed over allegations of domestic violence, NDTVC reports.