Renuka Swami murder case: 17 suspects identified, search for four continues

Team Udayavani, Jun 13, 2024, 11:48 AM IST

The investigation into the murder of Renuka Swami has revealed that 17 individuals are involved, not 13 as initially thought. The police are continuing their search for four absconding suspects. In the meantime, key accused Pavithra Gowda and Darshan have been highlighted as A1 and A2 respectively.

So far, 13 people, including actor Darshan, his girlfriend Pavithra Gowda, and their close associates, have been arrested. The recent interrogations have led to the identification of four more individuals involved in the murder.

According to the police’s application submitted to the court, the list of accused includes:

A1: Pavithra Gowda (33)
A2: Darshan alias D Boss (47)
A3: Puttaswamy alias K. Pavan (29)
A4: Raghavendra (43)
A5: Nandeesh (28)
A6: Jagadeesh alias Jagga (absconding)
A7: Anu (absconding)
A8: Ravi (absconding)
A9: Raju (absconding)
A10: Vinay (38)
A11: Nagaraj (41)
A12: Lakshman (54)
A13: Deepak (39)
A14: Pradosh (40)
A15: Karthik alias Kappe (27)
A16: Keshavmurthy (27)
A17: Nikhil Naik (21)

The police have collected voluntary statements from Darshan and the other accused. During interrogation, it was revealed that Pavithra Gowda detailed all events leading to the murder, including her interactions with Renuka Swami. Additionally, Darshan and others explained how they lured Renuka Swami from Chitradurga to Bangalore and subsequently to a shed in Pattangere where the murder took place.

A large number of fans gathered at Annapurneshwari Nagar Police Station, where the accused were being interrogated. The police had to resort to lathi charge to disperse the crowd as they did not heed requests to leave.

City Police Commissioner B. Dayanand visited Annapurneshwari Nagar Police Station and conducted a separate interrogation of actor Darshan to gather complete details about the incident.

The police have seized a Scorpio and a Mahindra Thar Jeep used by the accused. The Scorpio was used to transport Renuka Swami’s body, while Darshan’s Thar Jeep was used to travel to various locations related to the crime. Additionally, two liquor bottles found in the Jeep were confiscated.

The next steps in the investigation include retrieving information from the accused’s mobile phones, taking them to Chitradurga for further investigation, recording witness statements, seizing any cash used to bribe the accused to take blame, and collecting any destroyed evidence.

Darshan’s lawyer, Narayanaswamy, stated that simply being present at the crime scene does not implicate Darshan in the murder. He argued that the accusations against Darshan and Pavithra Gowda are unfounded and that Renuka Swami had pre-existing health issues. The wounds on Renuka Swami, he claimed, could have been caused by a dog bite. The case will be decided in court, he added.