Exhumation resumes at ninth site in Dharmasthala mass burial probe

Dharmasthala: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged mass burial case in Dharmasthala resumed exumation on Saturday at the ninth site identified by the complainant, police said.

Officials reached the location adjacent to the Nethravathi riverbank along the Ujire-Dharmasthala-Kokkada state highway (SH-73) around 11.30 am, marking the fifth consecutive day of exumation activity.

According to police sources, the SIT plans to exumate four adjacent sites--numbered 9 to 12-- on Saturday, in the presence of the complainant. These sites are among the 15 locations pinpointed by the anonymous complainant-witness, who has claimed that he had buried multiple human bodies along the riverbank over several years.

Security has been tightened with Dakshina Kannada district police maintaining a protective cordon around the sites. A green fabric barricade has been erected to prevent unauthorised visual access, including from the media and general public. Traffic on the highway, however, continues to operate normally.

The SIT team, assisted by labourers, machinery operators, and mechanical grass-cutting tools, have begun the work at site No 9. A mechanical excavator has also been deployed for deeper digging operations, police sources said.

On Thursday, some skeletal remains were recovered from site No. 6. They have been sent for forensic examination. No other recoveries of significance have been made from the remaining sites so far.

The SIT investigation continues under tight secrecy, with daily operations expected to proceed based on emerging findings.

The SIT was formed by the state government after allegations emerged of mass murder, rape, and illegal burials in Dharmasthala over the past two decades.

The complainant, a former sanitation worker whose identity has not been disclosed, claimed that he was employed in Dharmasthala between 1995 and 2014.

He alleged that he was forced to bury several bodies--including those of women and minors--some of which bore signs of sexual assault.

He has since recorded a statement before a magistrate in connection with these claims.