BENGALURU: Kannada film superstar Darshan Thoogudeepa and his friend and actress Pavitra Gowda have been arrested in the Renuka Swamy murder case that shook Karnataka. Darshan is the second accused in the case. Pavitra Gowda is the first accused. Pavan, the manager of both, is the third accused. Police informed that 10 others are in custody.

The obscene text message to Pavitra led to the murder. The police believe that Darshan and Pavitra planned and executed the murder. Renuka Swamy’s dead body was found in Kamakshipalayam on the 9th of this month. The incident came to light when three people surrendered to the police on Monday. They testified that they had committed the murder on Darshan’s instructions and that the reason was a financial transaction.

Brutal punishment

Renuka Swamy was beaten to death at Darshan’s farmhouse in Bengaluru. It is said in the FIR that Renuka Swamy was abducted and killed. The brutal attack went on from 2 am to 6 pm. He was killed by hitting on head with a wooden board. Before that, an iron pipe was heated and fatally burned his hands and feet. After making sure that he was dead, his body was thrown into the river in Kamakshipalayam.

Pavitra’s first film is ‘Chatrigalu Saar Chatrigalu’ in 2013. Darshan and Pavitra have been close friends for almost ten years. Both of them had shared pictures and videos together on social media. In this regard, the war of words between Darshan’s wife Vijayalakshmi and Pavitra on social media was in the news.