Kannada star Darshan has been in the line of fire recently after being arrested for the murder of his fan Renukaswamy. The actor is currently in custody along with a dozen others, including his rumoured girlfriend Pavithra Gowda. In the wake of this, media focus has come to another controversy from Darshan’s past – the mysterious disappearance of his former manager Mallikarjun, who has not been seen since 2018 after a dispute with the star.
Who is Mallikarjun and what is his link with Darshan?
Mallikarjun B. Sankanagoudar was Darshan’s manager from 2011-18, during which time he handled his business and financial affairs. He also oversaw the Kannada star’s schedules and payments. As per an Economic Times report, Darshan entrusted Mallikarjun with his business dealings too but the latter allegedly broke that trust by conducting secret deals in Darshan’s name. The manager reportedly borrowed crores of rupees in Darshan’s name, including Rs 1 crore from actor Arjan Sarja. This created a rift between Darshan and Mallikarjun when the misdemeanour came to light.
Mallikarjun’s mysterious disappearance
It was discovered in mid-2018 that Mallikarjun had borrowed large sums from many people, assuring them they were being invested but the money was nowhere to be found. As it became a police case, Mallikarjun vanished without a trace in July 2018. It was assumed that he fled in order to escape being arrested. However, now there is speculation that given his rift with Darshan, the actor may have some hand in the disappearance. According to One India, the police are looking at this angle now.
The Renukaswamy murder case
Renukaswamy was a 33-year-old fan of Darshan, who was miffed with his rumoured girlfriend Pavithra Gowda, and accused her of causing a rift between his idol and his wife. Renukaswamy sent several lewd and threatening messages to Pavithra over social media. The police say that following this Darshan reached out to his fan club officials and got them to abduct Renukaswamy. He was kept in Bengaluru for two days where he was allegedly tortured and beaten by Darshan and several others, due to which he died. His body was discovered on June 8. Darshan, Pavithra, and the others were arrested two days later.
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