Renuka Swamy murder case: Police detain actress Pavitra Gowda

Bengaluru: Police have detained actress Pavitra Gowda in connection with the alleged murder of Renuka Swamy.

Earlier police had detained Kannada film actor Darshan Thoogudeepa and 10 other suspects in connection with the case.

Reportedly, Darshan and Pavitra Gowda are said to be close to each other and have often been seen together at several events. Their friendship has been the subject of much discussion.

Renuka Swamy, a person from Chitradurga, had allegedly made derogatory comments against Pavitra Gowda in a social media post.

A fan of Darshan became aware of this and informed him. Subsequently, a group brought Renuka Swamy to Bengaluru, kept him in a shed, assaulted him, and then killed him, disposing of the body in a drain.

Police came to know about the murder after some local residents alerted them.

The body was sent for an autopsy and the forensic report confirmed that he was murdered, the sources said.

Four people were initially taken into custody for questioning. At first, the suspects gave different reasons but later admitted to committing the murder on Darshan’s instructions.

Based on their statement, police detained Darshan, sources said.

Investigations are into whether the actor was directly involved in the murder or was part of the conspiracy, the sources added.