The complaint in connection with an alleged suspicious death of a teenage girl that occurred more than 15 years ago in Dharmasthala and reportedly submitted crucial evidence.
Dharmasthala: As the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the Dharmasthala mass burial case intensifies, a new witness has emerged stating that he can help identify the spot where a girl’s body was found by him in a decomposed state. He reached the office in Belthangady on Saturday, August 2 with a complaint in connection with an alleged suspicious death of a teenage girl that occurred more than 15 years ago in the village and reportedly submitted crucial evidence.
Speaking to media, the man said the girl’s body was buried without following any legal procedures and that he was a witness, adding that he was unsure whether the girl was murdered. The man also said he was a relative of Padmalatha, who was allegedly murdered in 1986 in Dharmasthala village. Earlier, her sister had expressed willingness to extend her full cooperation if the SIT reopens the case. Padmalatha, a second-year pre-university student in Ujire, was reported missing on December 22, 1986. Her skeletal remains were discovered with her limbs tied two months later, raising suspicions regarding the cause of death.
Meanwhile, one of the officers probing the mass burial case was accused of threatening a complainant to make a statement on camera retracting his complaint. The complainant also alleged they were forced to blame outsiders and urged authorities to immediately remove him from the investigation team citing transparency.
Skeletal Remains Found from Site 6
In a crucial breakthrough in the Dharmasthala mass burial case, skeletal remains were found at spot number six on Tuesday, July 29. The case was transferred to the SIT after a former sanitation worker told the police that he was forced to dispose of the bodies of girls and women who were allegedly raped and murdered in Dharmasthala between 1998 and 2014. He testified that bodies were buried in various locations, including the reserved forest in Dharmasthala.
The SIT collected documents from the Dharmasthala police station, including the FIR and related records. DCP Sowmyalatha, the only female IPS officer on the SIT, had withdrawn from the probe, citing personal reasons in her resignation letter. Home Minister G. Parameshwara assured that another female officer will be appointed to the 24-member SIT led by DGP Pranab Kumar Mohanty.