‘Coerced to bury 100 bodies, mostly women and minors': SIT finds 15 bones in Dharmasthala forest pit on Day 3; PAN card traced to man

Time of India

a day ago

DHARMASTHALA: On its third day of the exhumation operation, Special Investigation Team Thursday unearthed partial skeletal remains - suspected to be of a man - from the sixth of 13 alleged burial sites identified by a 50-year-old complainant in Dharmasthala.
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The
, probing the complainant's allegations of hush-hush mass burials in the town, recovered a PAN and a debit card each from the first site exhumed Tuesday.
The partial remains, discovered in a forested area near Netravathi river, included 15 bones - some broken - but no skull, officials said.
A forensic doctor at the site offered a preliminary opinion that the bones were from a male individual, though a final confirmation awaits a full forensic examination.
"Forensic doctors and the scene-of-crime officers seized the body parts after noting down the details, including the location and the way the parts were found," an SIT official said. Puttur sub-division assistant commissioner Stella Verghese was present during the search.
The
was traced to Suresh of Nelamangala in Bengaluru Rural district, who had died of jaundice in March 2025 and was cremated in his village. "The deceased was an alcoholic," an SIT official said, adding he may have lost the card during a prior visit to Dharmasthala.
Bank yet to provide women's details
The SIT had earlier exhumed five sites based on the complainant's inputs but found no human remains over the past two days.
The digging of a sixth site began Thursday morning with equipment including a mini-earthmover, water pump, pipes and rain covers.
A dog squad was deployed. The skeletal remains, found about 4ft deep, were secured under heavy security and the area was later cordoned off.
The complainant, a former sanitation worker, claims he was coerced to bury over 100 bodies - mostly of women and minors - in Dharmasthala between 1995 and 2014.
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He had led the SIT to 13 suspected burial locations, starting July 28, near the bathing ghat.
While searching the first site, officials had recovered a PAN card belonging to a man and a RuPay debit card belonging to a woman. "The bank is yet to provide us with her details and cross-verification of her whereabouts is still under way," officials said. However, sources said the debit card belongs to the deceased mother.
Meanwhile, investigation gained momentum with the inclusion of nine more senior officers.
The team is expected to resume digging at the remaining sites Friday under the supervision of SP Jitendra Kumar Dayama and other senior officers.
As the news broke, advocate Manjunath N, representing Sujatha Bhat - mother of missing 2003 medical student Ananya Bhat - issued a statement: "Satyameva Jayate."
The SIT has opened an office at the IB in Mallikatte, Mangaluru, for the public to share any information between 10am and 5pm. They have also set up a helpline: 0824-2005301, 8277986369; email: [e-mail].