2 weeks Ago By Express News Service
BENGALURU: Amid tight police security, actor Darshan Thoogudeepa and four others were shifted to different jails in the state at around 4 am on Thursday. The police made a last minute change in the route map while shifting Darshan and took him via the Chikkaballapur route instead of the Chitradurga route. A team of four ACPs and 20 inspectors were used to shift the accused.
Of the accused, Darshan was shifted to Ballari jail, while Jagadish alias Jagga and M Lakshman were shifted to Shivamogga jail, and Dhanaraj alias Raju to Dharwad prison, and S Pradush to Belagavi prison. Ten police vehicles with the accused in them left from Bengaluru Central Prison, Parapanna Agrahara, at 4 am. Darshan was shifted in a police van escorted by an ACP-rank officer and another police vehicle tailing the van.
The police had used a view cutter to the van so that Darshan was not visible from outside. Darshan reached Ballari jail at 9.53 am.
The route map of Darshan’s shifting was changed at Mehkri Circle that went via the Kempegowda International Airport Road. Darshan’s manager Nagaraju, who was supposed to be moved to Kalaburagi prison, K Pawan alias Puttaswamy, N Raghavendra and S Nandish, who are to be moved to Mysuru prison, were not shifted due to health problems. They will be moved to other prisons once they recover.
Another accused V Vinay is also yet to be shifted to Vijayapura prison. In connection with the case registered in Parappana Agrahara police station for not immediately allowing the Central Crime Branch (CCB) team to search the prison last Saturday, Bengaluru Central Prison’s warder KS Sudarshan, jailer Paramesh Nayak, and assistant jailer Rayamane KB, who are currently under suspension, were questioned by the Electronics City sub-division ACP. CCTV camera footage from inside the prisons had revealed that four boxes were shifted after the CCB team reached the prison to carry out a raid.
The three staff was questioned to find out what was shifted. Actor Chikkanna, a close friend of Darshan, who is also a witness in the case, appeared before the investigating officer in the Renukaswamy kidnap and murder case, on Thursday morning. A notice was served to him on Wednesday after he had gone to meet Darshan at Parappana Agrahara recently, despite being a witness.
Chikkanna appeared before the IO at the Vijayanagar ACP’s office. He, along with actor Abishek Ambareesh and Dhanveer, had gone to meet Darshan on August 14. Chikkanna was summoned to find out the conversation between him and Darshan.
Chikkanna, speaking to reporters later, said that he answered the questions asked by the IO. “I told the IO that I was not aware of the laws that refrained a witness from meeting the accused in the jail. If I am summoned again, I will appear,” he added.
The stylish entry of undertrial cine actor Darshan into Bellary jail wearing sunglasses has enraged top authorities of the Prison Department. The North Zone DIG (Prisons), Belagavi, TP Shesha has objected to Darshan being allowed to wear sunglasses while entering Bellary jail and urged DG of Prisons in a letter to initiate disciplinary action against all the personnel who escorted Darshan, allowing him to wear sunglasses, to the jail. In his letter to the DG Prisons on Thursday, Shesha said news channels are keeping a tab on every small development relating to the handling of the Darshan case by the Prison’s Department.
The department’s image is getting tarnished due to the news stories about Darshan being allowed to wear sunglasses aired by news channels. Such reports may give a wrong impression to the people that the Department was extending a VIP treatment to Darshan. Around 2,000 fans of actor Darshan, gathered at various places in Ballari when the actor was brought to the Ballari Central Prison on Thursday.
Police resorted to a lathi-charge to control the crowds near Royal Circle when some fans tried to come close to the escort vehicle. Most fans gathered at Kanaka Durgamma Circle to see their favourite actor. Darshan was brought to Ballari via Ananthapur district in Andhra Pradesh.
Fans had gathered at several spots along the road. After he entered Ballari, some fans started raising slogans. Fans from as far as Koppal, Raichur, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana came to see the actor, but the vehicle in which he was brought was covered by cloth.
A senior police officer of Ballari said, Darshan is a high-profile prisoner. As part of security measures, two additional CCTV cameras have been installed at the entrance of the prison..
