A Bengaluru court on Tuesday allowed the police to shift Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa to the Ballari district prison from Parappana Agrahara Central Jail in Bengaluru after reports that he was being given preferential treatment in custody, reported The New Indian Express.
Nine central jail officials in Bengaluru were suspended on Monday after a photograph showing Thoogudeepa sitting on a prison lawn in the company of three other inmates was widely shared on social media.
The recording of a video call allegedly made by the actor from prison was also widely shared online, prompting the Prisons and Correctional Services Department to launch an investigation.
Three first information reports were filed in the matter, including one against Thoogudeepa.
Thoogudeepa and 16 of his associates are in prison for the murder of a 33-year-old man named Renukaswamy, who was a fan of the actor.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had ordered the Prisons and Correctional Services Department to shift Thoogudeepa and his co-accused persons to different prisons in Karnataka.
On Tuesday, Bengaluru prison authorities moved the court seeking permission to shift the undertrials from the central jail citing administrative and security reasons, reported The Times of India.
Thoogudeepa will be moved to Ballari prison while nine other co-accused persons will also be shifted to other prisons in Karnataka.
On June 11, Thoogudeepa was arrested for the murder of Renukaswamy.
The 33-year-old was allegedly sending abusive messages and comments to Thoogudeepa’s partner, Pavithra Gowda. On June 9, the body of the man was recovered from a drain in the Summanahalli area of Bengaluru.
Corrections and clarifications: This story has been edited to reflect the fact that Pavithra Gowda is Thoogudeepa’s partner, not his wife.
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