Two persons who kidnapped S. Renuka Swamy, allegedly murdered by Kannada film actor Darshan and his aides, were detained by the police on June 14. With this, 16 of the 17 accused in the murder case have been arrested. Swamy, a fan who spoke loosely about Darshan’s girlfriend, Pavithra Gowda, was murdered on June 8 in Bangalore. His body was found on June 9, and Darshan and Pavithra were arrested on June 11.
Meanwhile, Karnataka home minister G. Parameshwara said on June 14 that no special treatment had been given to Darshan and emphasised that police should be allowed to conduct their probe without interference. Reacting to allegations of preferential treatment to Darshan, Parameshwara clarified that the actor and his associates were being treated like any other accused.