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2h ago

SIT Arrests Dharmasthala Complainant on Perjury and False Evidence Charges

The move followed forensic results that contradicted his sworn claims about recovered bones.

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People gather near a site of an alleged burial related to the Dharmasthala mass burial case, at Dharmasthala, in Dakshina Kannada district.
The temple town of Dharmasthala drew focus last month after a former sanitation worker alleged in a police complaint on July 3 that he had buried bodies of multiple women who were allegedly raped and murdered.
Police personnel at the office of the SIT constituted to probe the case related to the alleged mass burial in Dharmasthala of Dakshina Kannada district.

Overview

  • The former sanitation worker was taken into custody on August 23 after overnight questioning and was produced in a Belthangady court, which granted the SIT 10 days’ custody, according to reports.
  • Investigators say the skull and bones he submitted as a female victim tested male in forensic analysis, leading to perjury and false evidence charges.
  • Police withdrew protection granted under the Witness Protection Scheme shortly before the arrest, SIT sources said.
  • The SIT excavated about 16–17 identified sites and recovered limited skeletal material at two locations, with all remains and soil samples sent to the Bengaluru forensic lab for analysis.
  • Sujatha Bhat, whose separate claims helped intensify the case, has retracted her story, as political tensions grow with the BJP planning protests and the government insisting the probe will continue.