"Shirtless, pleading for his life: The last moments of Darshan's fan before his murder."
In both images, Renukaswamy is shirtless with parked trucks in the background, revealing an injury mark on his body.
Arpit Pattnaik
New photos have emerged that show Renukaswamy, a 33-year-old auto driver who was allegedly murdered at the behest of Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, just moments before his death in June. In one of the two images exclusively obtained by India Today TV, Renukaswamy is looking directly at the camera, pleading and scared for his life.
In both images, Renukaswamy is not wearing a shirt, while there are parked trucks in the background. An injury mark can also be seen on his body. On June 9, Renukaswamy's body was found near a flyover in Bengaluru.
According to the police, the 33-year-old, who was a fan of Darshan, was kidnapped and murdered by a gang at the actor's direction after he allegedly sent offensive messages on social media to actor Pavithra Gowda, who is rumored to be Darshan's partner.
According to his post-mortem report, Renukaswamy was attacked with wooden clubs and died "due to shock and hemorrhage as a result of multiple blunt injuries sustained". The report also indicated that he suffered a ruptured testicle due to being kicked and was also given electric shocks prior to his death.
A total of 15 people have been arrested in connection to the murder, including Darshan and Pavithra Gowda. The actor's judicial custody is scheduled to end on September 9.
Thursday's development comes a day after the Bengaluru Police submitted its charge sheet in the murder case at a local court. According to the charge sheet, which includes around 230 pieces of evidence, blood stains were found on Darshan's clothes, as well as Pavithra Gowda's footwear.
