Who is Pavithra Gowda, arrested along with Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa for a fan's murder?

Bengaluru, Leading Kannada film actor Darshan Thoogudeepa was taken into custody in a murder case, Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda said on Tuesday. He said Darshan and his aides, who had been detained, were being questioned by police. The victim was a man who made derogatory comments about the actor’s close friend Pavithra Gowda. The man in question, Renukaswamy, 33, was abducted and killed.

According to reports, Gowda had a boutique at RR Nagar in Bangalore and was trying to get acting roles in the industry. A source was quoted saying, “She was also dating a major actor in the Kannada industry then. She had been married to Sanjay Singh but was separated. She has a child from her first marriage.”

The two films she acted in, Preethi Kithabhu and Chatrigalu Sir Chatrigalu, failed commercially. She was in a relationship with Darshan since 2014 and managed to keep it clandestine for three years.

More details about the case

The 47-year-old was picked up in connection with the murder of a man, identified as Renuka Swamy, on June 9 in Kamakshipalya area of the city, he said. After the alleged killing, the body of Swamy, who worked with a pharmacy company and hailed from the district headquarters town of Chitradurga, was dumped into a stormwater drain in Kamakshipalya.

“Based on the recovery of the dead body of an unidentified man and the injuries on his body, a murder case was registered. On the basis of CCTV footage and other technical evidence, the deceased was identified as Renuka Swamy,” Dayananda said. “We have detained the Kannada film actor and his aides and are questioning him. Since the investigation is on I cannot share more details,” he said.

With added inputs from agencies