MANGALURU: The Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the Dharmasthala mass burial case, conducted exhumation at a new alleged burial site and also excavated four spots at Boliyar in Dharmasthala village of Belthangady taluk on Friday.
An officer associated with the SIT told TNIE that the new site is where the witness-complainant claimed to have buried a minor girl along with her school bag, but they did not find any human remains.
In the complaint, the whistle-blower claimed: “One incident has haunted me wherein a minor girl aged between 12 and 15 years was found lying dead about 500 metres away from a petrol bunk at Kalleri in 2010. She was wearing a school uniform but her skirt and innerwear were missing and she had marks of sexual assault and strangulation. I was asked to dig a pit and bury her along with her school bag.”
On Friday, when SIT took him to the spot, he was confused about the location and directed the officials to a forested area at Boliyar where they dug a spot marked as site no. 15, it’s subsidiary spot marked as site 15a and two more unmarked spots, but there were no traces of any human remains. Exhumation is expected to take place around the same place on Saturday too. Sources said the complainant has now claimed that the body of the schoolgirl was buried as per legal procedures.
So far, out of the 13 sites, human remains were found only in site No. 6. Site no. 13 is yet to be exhumed.
Former sanitation workers questioned
The SIT has recorded statements of five former sanitation workers from Tamil Nadu who were named by the witness-complainant to have worked with him. But sources said they have contradicted his claims.
Police station status for SIT now
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been given the police station status, which will enable it to register FIRs. An officer associated with SIT told TNIE that the police station status was given on Wednesday. “Under Section 2(1)(u) of the Indian Civil Security Code (BNSS), 2023, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted on July 19 has been declared a ‘police station’ and the officer of the rank of Inspector of Police/above appointed to this special team is hereby declared as station-house officer by virtue of the powers conferred under Section 2(1)(r) of the Indian Civil Security Code (BNSS), 2023. The SIT has been notified with the delegation of powers to follow the investigative measures and submit the final report to the concerned court,” the government order dated August 6 stated.
