Kannada actor Pavithra Gowda – the prime accused in the murder of Renukaswamy – and actor Darshan Thoogudeepa’s associate was released on Tuesday, December 17 from Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara Central Prison on bail. Darshan, who was arrested on June 11 for his alleged involvement in the kidnapping and murder of 33-year-old Renukaswamy on June 8, appeared at a Bengaluru Sessions Court on December 16 to complete bail formalities.
The Karnataka High Court had granted conditional bail on December 13 to Pavithra Gowda, the prime accused in the case, along with Darshan and five others, including R Nagaraju, Anu Kumar alias Anu, Lakshman M, Jagadeesh alias Jagga, and Pradoosh S Rao. Darshan had already been released on interim bail for medical reasons on October 30 after being imprisoned for over four months. He had been granted relief for six weeks to undergo spine surgery.
The case pertains to the murder of Renukaswamy, a native of Chitradurga, whose body was found near a stormwater drain in Bengaluru on June 9. According to the police, Renukaswamy had allegedly sent obscene messages to Pavithra Gowda. Investigations revealed that Renukaswamy had been lured to a shed in Bengaluru’s RR Nagar under the pretext of meeting Darshan, where he was allegedly tortured and killed.
Meanwhile, Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda announced on Tuesday, December 17, that efforts are underway to challenge the Karnataka High Court's decision to grant bail to Darshan, Pavithra Gowda, and the other accused. He stated that a proposal would soon be submitted to the government to appeal the bail order in the Supreme Court.