MANGALURU: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has begun its probe into the Dharmasthala mass burial case, with the whistleblower, who is also the witness-complainant, recording his statement before investigating officer Jitendra Kumar Dayama on Saturday. The SIT office has been set up at the PWD IB at Mallikatte in Kadri, Mangaluru.
On Friday, SIT officials, including DIG M N Anucheth and investigating officer Jitendra Kumar Dayama, arrived in Mangaluru and officially took over the case files from the Dakshina Kannada police.
They completed the formal procedures of the investigation and collected preliminary information in connection with the case.
Later that night, Dayama visited the Dharmasthala police station and gathered additional details related to the case.
On Saturday, the witness complainant arrived at the SIT office along with his advocates. The complainant appeared before the Investigating Officer Dayama and his statements are being recorded.
The former sanitation worker had earlier lodged a complaint with the Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police and the Dharmasthala police station, alleging that he was threatened and forced to bury the bodies of multiple women, mostly victims of sexual abuse, within the Dharmasthala village limits and surrounding areas.
According to the complainant, he was forced to cover up the alleged criminal activities. Following his complaint, a case was registered at the Dharmasthala police station on 4 July.
The state government constituted the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on 19 July.
The team is headed by Pronab Mohanty, Director General of Police (DGP), Internal Security Division, with DIG (Recruitment) M N Anucheth, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) of the City Armed Reserve (CAR) headquarters Soumyalatha, and Superintendent of Police (SP) Jitendra Kumar Dayama as members.
The decision to form the SIT came in response to a letter from Karnataka State Women's Commission Chairperson Nagalakshmi Choudhary.