Darshan Fans Arrested Over Intimidation To Prosecution Witness

BENGALUR: Three fans of actor Darshan, who are on trial in a murder case, were arrested by the Kamakshipalya police in Bengaluru on Thursday for allegedly intimidating a key prosecution witness into turning hostile. Those arrested were identified by the police as Puneeth, Suhas and Venu and they claimed to be big fans of the actor.

He brought to the notice of the Court that the prosecution witness, a resident of Chitradurga, was facing threats and constant pressure from the trio to intimidate him, turn hostile towards him during courtroom proceedings and withdraw his statement to the police against the actor in the murder case.

The alleged threats against the prosecution witness were based on phone calls. Taking the threat against the prosecution witness seriously, the court instructed the police to file a case against the trio and they were taken into custody.

Actor Darshan is accused of murdering Chitradurga resident Renukaswamy in June 2004. The actor allegedly killed Renukaswamy along with some of his associates after learning that Renukaswamy was harassing his girlfriend Pavithra Gowda by sending her lewd messages.

The trio reportedly told police that they took the step due to alleged intimidation of the prosecution witness, who could not get their favorite actor behind bars. However, police are investigating whether the tree accused of frightening acted on its own or on the orders of others.

Puneeth, one of the accused, is said to be running a fan page dedicated to Darshan on social media, while Suhas and Venu are members of the Darshan Fans Association.