In a new twist in the kidnap and murder case against Kannada actor Darshan, photos allegedly showing the victim Renukaswamy being tortured before his death have surfaced on Thursday. The photos emerged after the Karnataka Police submitted a 3,991-page chargesheet in the murder case on Wednesday.

According to news agency IANS, one of the photos shows Renukaswamy, shirtless and sitting on the ground in front of parked trucks, in tears. Another image shows him unconscious in front of a truck wearing a vest and blue jeans.

IANS sources said the photos were found on the phone of Darshan’s aide Pavan and were collected as evidence by the police department. The Karnataka police have not issued any official statement regarding the leaked photos.

Sources say that Pavan, who is also an accused in the case, took the photos of Renukaswamy after kidnapping, assaulting and keeping him at a shed. Pavan, then, went to a club where Darshan was partying with friends and showed him the photos. After seeing the photos, Darshan went to actor Pavithra Gowda’s home and brought her to the shed where they continued the assault on Renukaswamy, IANS sources said.

In its chargesheet, the Karnataka Police detailed the alleged brutal torture before his death.

“After being assaulted by Darshan and his gang, Renukaswamy’s chest bones were broken. There are a total of 39 injury marks all over his body. There is also a deep cut on the victim’s head,” the chargesheet read.

It also said that Darshan and his aides used an electrical device to deliver electric shocks to Renukaswamy’s private parts to jolt him awake when he passed out from pain after being repeatedly assaulted.

“After committing the murder, Darshan and the other accused used their influence and money to dispose of the body and attempted to destroy evidence. They also tried to frame other individuals to escape charges,” the chargesheet said.

The Kannada actor is among 17 people, including his friend actor Pavithra Gowda, who are in judicial custody in connection with the murder of his fan Renukaswamy.

The 33-year-old fan had allegedly sent obscene messages to Pavithra Gowda, after which he was allegedly beaten to death. His body was found near a stormwater drain in Bengaluru’s Sumanahalli on June 9.

Bengaluru:

Karnataka Police submitted the chargesheet in the sensational kidnap and murder case of Renukaswamy which has established the role of jailed Kannada superstar Darshan and also detailed the brutal and inhumane torture before his death.

“After being assaulted by Darshan and his gang, Renukaswamy’s chest bones were broken. There are a total of 39 injury marks all over his body. There is also a deep cut on the victim’s head,” reads the chargesheet.

It added that the gang reportedly used a megger machine, an electrical device used to measure insulation resistance, to deliver electric shocks to Renukaswamy’s private parts.

“Darshan and his gang used the megger device to damage Renukaswamy’s testicle,” the chargesheet says.

Another source said that Renukaswamy endured unheard-of and inhuman torture before being hacked to death.

“After committing the murder, Darshan and the other accused used their influence and money to dispose of the body and attempted to destroy evidence. They also tried to frame other individuals to escape charges,” the chargesheet said.

It said that with the common intention of committing the crime, they destroyed physical, technical, and scientific evidence and attempted to destroy further evidence.

Darshan is named as the second accused in the case, and his legal team is preparing to submit a bail plea. However, police sources said that since he is booked in three new cases related to luxury treatment inside the prison, obtaining bail will not be an easy task.

The police found traces of Renukaswamy’s blood on the clothes seized from Darshan. They also retrieved messages sent by his associates during the kidnapping, confinement, torture, murder, and disposal of Renukaswamy’s body.

After the incident, Darshan had gone to Mysuru for the shoot of his upcoming movie, “Devil.” A team from Bengaluru Police, headed by ACP Chandan Kumar, arrested him in a hotel after cracking the case.

Sources said Darshan tried to resist the arrest. However, ACP Chandan Kumar ordered him to get into the police jeep or face being dragged in, with further strong action as per the rules.

Darshan is one of the few superstars in the Kannada film industry. The budding industry, which had started to make its mark at the national level, has suffered a significant setback in light of these developments.

In the chargesheet, Pavithra Gowda is labelled as A-1, and Darshan as A-2. Fourteen individuals have been charged with murder, and 14 others face charges of abduction and murder. Karthik alias Kappe, Keshavamurthy, and Nikhil Nayak are charged with destruction of evidence.

The first volume contains a summary report of the case. The second volume comprises voluntary statements of 17 accused individuals. Volume number three has details of evidence both direct and circumstantial. The fourth volume has the post-mortem and Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) reports.

The fifth volume contains the FSL and CSFL analysis.

Sources said that after the receipt of the chargesheet copies to all the accused persons, the 24th ACMM court will commit the case and transfer it to the sessions court.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)