
Dharmasthala burial case: SIT to search for possible human remains at spot 13 as GPR arrives
An officer associated with the SIT told TNIE that GPR arrived in Belthangady on Monday and the same technology will be used to detect possible human remains below the ground.
So far, SIT has dug up 15 sites shown by the whistleblower in the case and found human remains in only one site - spot 6. A skull and other human skeletal remains were found on the surface of a site close to spot 11 which is now marked as spot 14.
There was delay in exhumation process at spot 13 due to presence of a dam, multiple electricity lines and proximity of the spot to the main road.

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New Indian Express
an hour ago
- New Indian Express
Dharmasthala mass burial case: No traces of human remains at site no 13
MANGALURU: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) found no human remains at the 13th site identified by the complainant-witness in connection with the Dharmasthala mass burial case. Due to the presence of electricity poles and a vented dam just a few meters from the site, the SIT had used Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) on Tuesday to assess underground conditions. Based on the GPR findings, exhumation was carried out in only a portion of the area on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the excavation work continued at the same spot and the ground was dug up for about 18 feet. Sources said it was dug up to 18 feet was huge amount soil was dumped on the spot during the construction of the vented dam nearby. Heavy excavation equipment, including a large earthmover and a smaller digging machine, was being used for the excavation. Despite persistent rain, the team continued digging, following indications from the complainant-witness, who was present at the spot. Puttur Assistant Commissioner Stella Varghese, SIT SP Jitendra Kumar Dayama, and forensic experts monitored the ongoing operation.


The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
No skeletal remains found during continued excavation at site No. 13 in Dharmasthala
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) did not find any skeletal remains on Wednesday as it continued excavation at site no. 13 as part of the probe into alleged burials in Dharmasthala village, sources said. After scanning the large plain area at site no. 13 using drone-mounted Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), the SIT began excavating the site using two earth movers on Tuesday and did not find any skeletal remains. It did not find any remains during the excavation on Wednesday either. The excavation was done in the presence of complainant and Puttur Sub Division AC Stella Varghese. Meanwhile, Purandara Gowda, uncle of 2013 murder victim Soujanya, and Tukaram, a resident of the village, visited the SIT office in Belthangady on Wednesday. Talking to reporters, Mr. Gowda and Mr. Tukaram said they informed SIT on August 6 that they had seen a person, similar to the complainant, and a few others burying bodies at Banglagudde in the period between 2003 and 2014. 'The SIT Chief (Pronab Mohanty) asked me to file a complaint with the Dharmasthala police station. I met the SI at the Pangala cross and left the place. Later, I heard about the attack on YouTubers. On August 8, we filed the complaint at the Dharmasthala police station. This is when I got to know I was named accused no. 1 in the sou-motu case registered by the police over a clash between groups, following an attack on YouTubers,' Mr. Gowda told reporters. Mr. Gowda said that both visited the office on Wednesday to enquire about the action taken on the complaint filed by them in Dharmasthala police station. Meanwhile, the Dharmasthala police are investigating a petition given by Sujatha Bhat on July 15 requesting a probe into whether her daughter and medical student Ananya Bhat's body was among those buried by the complainant. However, they have found no education records to prove that Ananya Bhat studied in medical colleges either in Mangaluru or Manipal. Police said they are trying to reach out to Sujatha Bhat to gather more information about the petitioner and her daughter.


Economic Times
an hour ago
- Economic Times
Hyderabad's baby bazaar: 50 seized couple files reveal dark secrets of surrogacy racket involving Dr Namratha and Srushti Fertility Centre
The Gopalapuram police have transferred the Universal Srushti Fertility Centre child-trafficking and surrogacy case to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the CCS, Hyderabad, for further investigation. So far, 25 people, including five doctors, have been arrested in connection with nine cases registered at the Gopalapuram police station. These arrests are linked to an alleged inter-state racket. The main accused, Dr Athaluri Namratha, along with seven others, was arrested on 27 July following an FIR registered on 25 July. The case began after a Hyderabad couple complained that the fertility centre, run by Dr Namratha, had cheated them of over Rs 30 lakh in a surrogacy deal. They alleged that the centre gave them another couple's child instead of their own. After this complaint, seven more couples came forward, leading to seven more cases being registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act. Another case was filed by a 90-year-old gynaecologist, Suri Srimathi, who said her name had been illegally used on the centre's letterhead to carry out illegal activities. The victim couples alleged that they had first approached the centre for IVF treatment. As quoted by TOI, they said Dr Namratha convinced them to choose surrogacy instead, charging more than Rs 30 lakh for 'guaranteed babies'. The couples were never told who the surrogate mothers were. In one case, a couple was told their surrogate child had died at birth, while DNA tests in two other cases did not match the babies given to the clients. North Zone DCP Rashmi S Perumal said, as reported by TOI, that Dr Namratha ran a network of clinics in Secunderabad, Kondapur, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Nellore, Rajahmundry, Bhubaneswar, and Kolkata. The alleged method was to attract couples through IVF, then persuade them to switch to surrogacy, promising to handle all legal reportedly convinced financially struggling women to sell their babies, paying Rs 3.5 lakh for a girl and Rs 4.5 lakh for a boy. Victims were charged Rs 30–40 lakh. The DCP added, as quoted by TOI, that the accused faked DNA and medical reports by using the biological mother's DNA in place of the client' arrested include Dr Namratha; her son PSS Jayanth Krishna; doctors from Visakhapatnam and Gandhi Hospital; embryologists; branch managers; nurses; agents; and three parents who allegedly agreed to the illegal sale of their have seized about 50 files from the centre's offices and are checking them for more possible victims. Bank accounts linked to the accused have been frozen. According to police, Dr Namratha was previously involved in 15 criminal cases across Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, and Guntur. Some were settled, while others are still in court.'We have invoked provisions of Organised Crime under the BNS against the accused. The SIT will now take over the investigation,' the DCP said, as reported by TOI. Inputs from TOI