Murder case: Judicial custody of actor Darshan, others extended till July 18

Bengaluru, July 4: A court here on Thursday extended the judicial custody of Kannada actor Darshan, his 'partner' Pavithra Gowda and 15 others -- in a case pertaining to the murder of a fan of the superstar -- till July 18, an official said.

All the accused were presented before the court through a video conference arranged by the officials at the Central Prison of Bengaluru and Tumakuru district prison.

The judicial custody of all the accused named in the murder case, including Darshan, ended on Thursday.

The prosecution told the court that the judicial custody of all the accused should be extended, saying they had the scantiest respect for the law and indulged in serious offences like murder and destruction of evidence.

It was also claimed that all the accused had conspired, and with a common intention, committed the crime.

The prosecution said that the probe has hinted that they have destroyed physical, technical and scientific evidence, adding the murder case is still under investigation and the role of each accused needs to be probed further.

The police have seized a large amount of cash from the accused and the source of the money is yet to be ascertained.

The mobile phones of the accused have been retrieved and sent to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) in Hyderabad. A report is pending.

The DVRs are to be seized and an FSL report needs to be obtained, the prosecution told the court.

It has been claimed that the accused contacted many people before committing the crime.

"... the accused got a powerful fan base. By using the background, the accused can threaten the witnesses. The statements of witnesses are to be recorded under CrPC 164 and if the accused are given bail there is a possibility of the accused systematically destroying the evidence," the prosecution submitted to the court in the remand application.

Darshan, his 'partner' Pavithra Gowda, and 15 others were arrested on charges of murdering Renukaswamy (33), a resident of Chitradurga. The probe revealed that Renukaswamy, a big fan of Darshan, had sent derogatory messages to Pavithra Gowda on social media.

The victim was allegedly kidnapped, brought to Bengaluru, kept in a shed, and tortured to death.