Police lathi was used to beat up Renukaswamy

BENGALURU: After the postmortem report of 33-year-old Renukaswamy said he was beaten with a stick that resembled a lathi, police officers have found that a cane lathi was used to beat him.

The lathi kept at actor Darshan’s RR Nagar residence security room was used to beat the victim.

During Darshan’s birthday celebrations, jurisdictional police were deployed to control his fans. After the celebrations, the lathi is said to have been found outside the house, and was later kept in the security room.

After Renukaswamy was kidnapped and brought to the Pattanagere shed in RR Nagar, the actor reportedly told his accomplices to bring the lathi from his house. The victim was beaten so hard that the lathi is said to have broken into two pieces.

Meanwhile, police officers who went through CCTV camera footage of the Pattanagere shed, found that Darshan was inside the shed for almost 50 minutes.

On June 8, Darshan is reportedly seen entering the shed with his friend V Vinay, 38, owner of Stonny Brook Pub in RR Nagar, at 4.30pm. The shed where the murder took place is owned by Vinay’s uncle Pattanagere Jayanna. He then leaves the shed around 5.20pm.

The actor is said to have asked his accomplice, Pawan, to read out the messages which Renukaswamy had sent to Pavithra Gowda. When Pawan was reading out the messages loudly, the actor is alleged to have attacked the victim.

Initially, Darshan had told police after his arrest that he was in the shed for just over two minutes, and left after giving money to Renukaswamy, asking him to return to his hometown and not to send messages to Pavithra again.

Investigators have also found that Renukaswamy had sent around 200 lewd messages to Pavithra Gowda, using a fake Instagram ID.

When she did not respond to the messages, he sent a picture of his private part. Frustrated over this, she showed the messages to Pawan, who then took her phone and started messaging the victim. Pawan was successful in trapping Renukaswamy and found out his whereabouts.

Accused number 17 L Nikhil Nayak, 21, a resident of Kembathalli on Bannerghatta Main Road, who is presently lodged in Tumakuru prison, has applied for bail. Nikhil’s advocate filed for bail in a city-based sessions court.

Nikhil is one of the accused who shifted the body from the shed and disposed of it at Sumanahalli storm water drain. He then surrendered along with three others before the Kamakshipalya police on June 10, claiming responsibility for the murder.