Sowjanya rape, murder case: Victim's mother files fresh complaint before Dharmasthala SIT

Mangaluru (Karnataka), Aug 28 (PTI) Kusumavati, mother of Sowjanya, a girl allegedly raped and murdered more than a decade ago, on Thursday submitted a fresh complaint to the SIT probing allegations of multiple rapes, murders and burials in Dharmasthala over the past two decades.

Sowjanya, a 17-year-old college student, was allegedly raped and murdered on October 9, 2012, in Dharmasthala—a case that remains unresolved even more than a decade later. Despite a CBI probe and Supreme Court intervention, the real perpetrators have never been identified.

In her complaint, Kusumavati referred to statements given by Chinnaiah’s sister, Ratna, who told the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) that influential figures threatened Chinnaiah in 2014 over his knowledge of Sowjanya’s death, forcing him to leave Dharmasthala.

Additionally, Kusumavati's complaint refers to some media reports that allege a person named Ravi Poojari disclosed the names responsible for the crime to Chinnaiah and was later murdered.

Kusumavati called for a narco-test of Chinnaiah to confirm these claims and urged the Karnataka government and SIT to get justice for her daughter.

She expressed deep frustration, stating, "Even today, justice has eluded us. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) is interrogating Chinnaiah, the key suspect. Our family and others already knew about his involvement in disposing of bodies, yet no action was taken". PTI GMS ADB