Actor Darshan and his associates will remain in judicial custody

Karnataka: The judicial custody of jailed Kannada actor Darshan and his associates has been extended till August 14 by the 24th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate ACMM Court on Thursday, August 1. Darshan and his associates, including his partner Pavitra Gowda, were produced before the court via video conference from Bengaluru Central Jail. Four accused were produced before the court online from Tumakuru District Jail. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) had moved a remand application before the court seeking extension of judicial custody. The allegations against Darshan, Pavitra Gowda and others are linked to the murder of Chitradurga resident Renukaswamy on June 8. According to the police, Renukaswamy had allegedly sent lewd and obscene messages to Pavitra Gowda. Pavitra allegedly told Darshan about the messages she received on Instagram. Darshan then directed his associate Pawan to identify the sender. Pawan created a fake Instagram account in Pavitra’s name and interacted with Renukaswamy, eventually gathering personal information about her. According to the police, Renukaswamy was later abducted by Raghavendra, president of Darshan’s fan club, and brought to Bengaluru, where she was attacked and murdered.