MANGALURU: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged mass burial case in Dharmasthala village found two more skulls and human remains along with a walking stick at Banglegudde forest on Thursday. With this, SIT has recovered seven human skeletal remains at Banglegudde forest.
All the remains were found on the surface. Sources in the SIT revealed that the seven skulls found during mahazar inside Banglegudde reserve forest area are most likely to be of males and recent ones.
An officer associated with the SIT told The New Indian Express that forensic doctors have opined that the five skulls and other human skeletal remains recovered in Banglegudde on Wednesday are recent ones and could be of males and prima facie they might have ended their lives. “However, we are not certain that those are suicide cases,” the officer said.
“Of the over 10 acres inside Banglegudde, our teams managed to cover almost five acres on Wednesday and remaining five acres on Thursday. There were separate teams for search and seizure of the remains. Skull, jaw and bones were all scattered in the area. We have put evidence markers around the area where remains were found,” the officer said.
The SIT also found scattered bones near the spot where late Sowjanya’s uncle Vittal Gowda had claimed to have picked up the skull which was produced as evidence before the court by the 45-year-old witness-complainant who is now in the judicial custody.
Sources said one of the skulls recovered during mahazar in Banglegudde on Wednesday reportedly belongs to U B Ayyappa (71), a resident of Virajpet taluk in Kodagu, as per the ID card. However, the SIT is yet to confirm this officially. His family members had lodged a complaint at Srimangala police station in Kodagu after he went missing when he gone for medical treatment in Mysuru in 2017.
Witness-complainant produced before court
The 45-year-old former sanitation worker and witness-complainant was produced before the Belthangady court in connection with recording his Section 183 statement. The court asked him to record the statement on September 23.
Meanwhile, Vijay, brother of Vasanthi from Kodagu who had accused Sujatha Bhat, another complainant in the Dharmasthala-related case of misusing his sister’s photo, appeared before the SIT in Belthangady on Thursday. He told media persons, “SIT had given a notice and I have submitted details about my sister Vasanthi. I have submitted Vasanthi’s photos, her death certificate and academic documents. SIT is conducting a fair probe.”