PAVITHRA JUST A FRIEND, I'M HIS ONLY LEGALLY-WEDDED WIFE: DARSHAN'S WIFE WRITES TO B'LURU TOP COP

Bengaluru: As per police sources, Vijayalakshmi, wife of Kannada superstar Darshan Thoogudeepa, on Thursday, wrote to Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda, clarifying that the co-accused in the Renukaswamy murder case Pavithra Gowda was not the actor's spouse.

In her letter to Police Commissioner Dayananda, Vijayalakshmi said, “You made a wrong statement during a press conference, saying Pavithra Gowda is Darshan's wife. This error was repeated by the Karnataka Home Minister and national media, reporting that the Darshan couple was arrested in the Renukaswamy murder case.”

She added, “I have full faith in the judiciary and believe the law will take its course. While it is true that Pavithra Gowda is a friend of my husband, she is not his wife. I am the only legally wedded wife of Darshan, and our marriage took place at Dharmasthala (Hindu pilgrimage centre) on May 19, 2003.”

Bengaluru Court Extends Judicial Custody of Darshan, Other Accused

A court here on Thursday extended the judicial custody of Darshan along with his friend Pavithra and others, who are accused in the Renukaswamy murder case, till July 18. All the 17 accused, including Darshan and Pavithra, were produced before the magistrate through video conferencing from Bengaluru and Tumakuru prisons, where they are lodged, as their judicial custody ended today. According to police sources, 33-year-old Renukaswamy, a fan of the actor, had sent obscene messages to Gowda, which enraged Darshan, allegedly leading to his murder. 

His body was found near a stormwater drain next to an apartment in Sumanahalli here on June 9. Raghavendra, one of the accused who is part of Darshan's fan club in Chitradurga, had brought Renukaswamy to a shed in R R Nagar here, on the pretext that the actor wanted to meet him. It was in this shed that he was allegedly tortured and murdered. 

According to the post-mortem report, Renukaswamy, a native of Chitradurga, died due to shock and haemorrhage as a result of multiple blunt injuries. Police sources said Pavithra Gowda, who is accused number one, was the "major cause" for Renukaswamy’s murder, claiming that it has been proved from the probe that she instigated other accused, conspired with them, and took part in the crime. (with PTI inputs)

2024-07-04T11:44:32Z dg43tfdfdgfd