Renukaswamy murder: Cops yet to mine assault footage

The Bengaluru police probing the Renukaswamy murder case hasn’t found CCTV footage of the suspects assaulting the man so far, said a senior police officer. 

The team of investigators tasked with gathering evidence is extracting footage from CCTV cameras in the vicinity of Pattanagere shed, where the alleged murder occurred. A certain part of the extraction is done where they haven’t found anything. 

“There are a few CCTV cameras, the analysis of whose footage is yet to be done. We might get some solid proof in them,” the officer said. 

Renukaswamy, 34, of Chitradurga, was found dead near a stormwater drain in Kamakshipalya station limits on June 9. The police have arrested 17 people in connection with the case, including Kannada film star Darshan Thoogudeepa and his close friend Pavitra Gowda. 

The investigators have seized materials such as wooden pieces, a belt and sticks used for assault, which are crucial evidence. But footage of the assault becomes direct evidence and strengthens the case. Meanwhile, the cops are searching for Renukaswamy’s mobile phone to corroborate the statements made by the arrested suspects.

According to the police, Renukaswamy’s mobile will be a crucial evidence in unearthing the motive behind the murder. Police believe that Renukaswamy sent obscene messages to Pavithra Gowda, one of the accused, which became the motive for his murder. 

Earlier, the investigators took four of the accused to the stormwater drain, where Renukaswamy’s body was found. They roughly identified the place where the mobile phone was thrown and searched along the path. 

On Monday, along with BBMP pourakarmikas, the police officers launched a search operation for the mobile phone in the drain. However, it hasn’t yielded anything so far. The light showers and sludge flow in the drain are believed to have carried the mobile phone further away.

If the cops fail to retrieve Renukaswamy’s mobile phone, they have to obtain his Instagram chat history and details from Meta, the parent conglomerate of Instagram.

However, a senior officer said that they were yet to take a decision on that.