Bengaluru, Dec 17: A Kannada film producer has been accused of kidnapping his estranged wife a television and film actor to allegedly force her family to hand over custody of their one year old daughter police said on Monday.
The accused, Harshavardhan owner of Vardhan Enterprises and a resident of Hassan district has been named in a complaint filed by the family of actor Chaitra R. The couple married in 2023 with the consent of both families police said.
According to the complaint, the couple began living separately about seven to eight months ago following domestic disputes. While Harshavardhan stayed in Hassan, Chaitra moved to a rented house on Magadi Road in Bengaluru and continued working as a television serial artist and film actress.
The family alleged that on December 7, 2025, Chaitra informed them that she was travelling to Mysuru for a shooting assignment. However, the assignment was allegedly a pretext arranged by Harshavardhan through his friend Kaushik, who is said to have paid Chaitra an advance of ₹20,000.
As per the FIR, Chaitra was called to the Mysuru Road Metro Station in Bengaluru around 8 am on December 7 where she was allegedly forced into a car by Harshavardhan, Kaushik and another person. She was then taken away via NICE Road and Bidadi. The family said they were alerted to the abduction by a person known to Chaitra.
Later that evening Harshavardhan allegedly called Chaitra’s mother and threatened that she would be released safely only if the one-year-old child was handed over. A similar message was reportedly conveyed to another relative asking that the child be taken to Arsikere in exchange for Chaitra’s release.
The complaint further stated that Chaitra’s phone was switched off when family members attempted to contact her. It also mentioned a delay in approaching the police noting that Chaitra’s mother was in Tiptur at the time and returned to Bengaluru before lodging the complaint.
Police have registered a case against Harshavardhan, Kaushik and another accused under charges including kidnapping and criminal intimidation. Further investigation is underway
