Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, who is an accused in a murder case, has been transferred from Bengaluru's Parappana Agrahara Prison to Ballari Prison. The transfer carried out under tight security on Thursday morning, was led by Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) T Rangappa.
Darshan, currently in judicial custody for his alleged involvement in the murder of 33-year-old auto driver Renukaswamy, was moved following accusations that he was receiving VIP treatment in prison. Earlier this week, a photograph showed the actor lounging on the prison lawns, holding a cigarette and a coffee mug, alongside three others, including a known rowdy sheeter. This image, along with a clip, purportedly showing Darshan on a video call from prison, sparked public outrage and led to an internal investigation by the Karnataka Police.
The controversial photo and video led to swift action, with a Bengaluru court granting permission on Tuesday to relocate Darshan and his co-accused to various prisons across Karnataka.
While Darshan has been moved to Ballari Prison, the other accused in the case have also been transferred to different facilities. Pawan, Raghavendra, and Nandish were shifted to Mysuru Jail; Jagadish and Lakshmana to Shivamogga Jail; Dhanraj to Dharwad Jail; Vinay to Vijayapura Jail; Nagaraj to Kalaburagi (Gulbarga) Jail; and Pradosh to Belagavi Jail.
Four other accused -- Ravi, Karthik, Nikhil, and Keshavamurthy -- were previously relocated to Tumakuru Prison. Meanwhile, three of the 17 accused - Pavithra Gowda, Anukumar, and Deepak - will remain at Parappana Agrahara Central Jail.
Darshan is in judicial custody for his alleged involvement in the kidnapping, assault, and murder of 33-year-old auto driver Renukaswamy. Darshan is one of the prime accused in the June 9 incident after Renukaswamy allegedly sent offensive messages on social media to actress Pavithra Gowda, who is rumoured to be Darshan's partner. Investigations have revealed that Darshan was directly involved in the assault on Renukaswamy.
On Wednesday, the judicial custody of Darshan, Gowda and the others involved in the case was extended until September 9.
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