Police seize phone on which Renukaswamy assault was shot, recover CCTV footage

BENGALURU: The police have seized mobile phones and recovered CCTV footage from the accused in the Renukaswamy murder case which shows how brutally he was assaulted and killed.

The remand copy submitted by the investigators to the court by the investigators reveals startling information. As per the documents, the device used for electrocuting Renukaswamy was purchased on an online platform by Dhanraj. The police have recorded 164 statements from the witness in this regard.

All the accused in the case used a web-based application for communication. Later, they threw away their SIMs and bought new ones. The mobile phone of the murdered Renukaswamy was thrown in the Sumanahalli drainage in order to destroy evidence as a result of which data on Renukaswamy’s mobile phone has been erased. The police have now obtained a new SIM card in the name of the deceased to retrieve data.

Not only this, the accused also changed the clothes of the deceased Renukaswamy and Darshan’s close associates threatened witnesses not to reveal anything about the murder.

The police also seized CCTV footage which shows the gang taking Renukaswamy into the shed and attacking him with the iron rods, wooden logs, and belt. One of the accused filmed the attack on a mobile phone. The CCTV DVR and the mobile phone used for filming the torture were also seized.

Apart from the seized phones of the accused, the shed in Pattanagere has been locked since the murder of Renukaswamy. People are coming to the shed to get their seized vehicles released, but are forced to return without being able to get their vehicles, sources said.

The rented shed is managed by a finance company where vehicles for  which payments are due are seized and parked. There are hundreds of bikes, autorickshaws, cars, lorries and other vehicles seized and parked at the shed. The police have locked the shed to prevent destruction of evidence and hence, the finance company can do little about it.

However, the owners of vehicles who come to get them released are returning empty-handed. At least 15-20 people would visit the shed every day. They expressed displeasure over the shed being locked and wanted to know how long the police would keep the place locked.

Meanwhile, the police have appealed to a city court to shift Darshan to Tumkur jail in view of the possibility of him being attacked by inmates who are still in jail. The court will hear the issue on Monday. There are cases registered against actor Darshan in Vijayanagar police station in 2011 under the IPC Sections 498A, 323, 355, 506B and 27 Arms Act.