Kannada actor Darshan faces wildlife case amidst murder charges

BENGALURU: Noted Kannada actor, who was arrested on Tuesday and sent to six days of police custody on murder charges, also faces a wildlife case.

An FIR was filed against Darshan Thoogudeepa in January 2023 for housing four bar-headed goose in his farmhouse in T. Narasipura in Mysuru.

“An FIR was filed against him, his wife Vijayalakshmi, and property manager Nagaraj. We have sent him five summons, but to date, he has not appeared before the investigating officers,” said an investigating official.

A senior official from the forest department admitted that it is unfortunate Darshan has not been arrested.

“The file got buried after the investigating officer got transferred. The current official did not take up the case. we have sought a detailed explanation on this,” the official added.

“The bar-headed goose is listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Housing or catching them is an offense as per the rules, and when arrested, it is a non-bailable offense. Since the people involved are celebrities, they are being given time. They have not been forcibly picked up as they are not absconding,” said the investigating official.

The actor’s name was again in the news, recently for sporting a tiger claw chain.

Officials from forest department, Bengaluru circle, had served him a notice and checked his house. “Darshan had produced the claw before and on investigation it was found to be fake,” the official said.

It may also be recollected that Darshan was the brand ambassador of Karnataka forest department in the year 2021.