Dharmasthala: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing allegations of mass murders in Karnataka’s Dharmasthala ended the first day of exhumation operations on Tuesday without any recoveries. The team, guided by a 48-year-old sanitation worker who had earlier claimed to have buried multiple bodies over a decade ago, began digging at one of the 13 locations he had identified.
A senior SIT officer confirmed that the first site was excavated “using manual labour and later earth movers to the satisfaction of the informant and officials present.” However, by 6 pm, operations were halted after no human remains were found. “We have followed the standard procedure and ensured the digging was thorough. No recoveries were made at this spot today,” the officer said.
The exhumation drive is set to resume on Wednesday at the second site pinpointed by the informant, who had shown all 13 alleged burial spots to the SIT on July 28. The sites are located near the bathing ghat in Dharmasthala, a sacred pilgrimage town in Dakshina Kannada district. According to the informant, the bodies were buried in areas surrounding the forest trail beside the ghat.
Following the site visits, the SIT marked each location and stationed armed security personnel to guard them overnight. Approval to begin the exhumation was granted by Puttur assistant commissioner Stella Verghese, who arrived at the Dharmasthala police station on Tuesday morning. She was joined by forensic scientists from Udupi and other officials, including SIT second-in-command DIG MN Anucheth, superintendent of police (SP) Jithendra Kumar Dayama and scene-of-crime experts.
{{/usCountry}}Following the site visits, the SIT marked each location and stationed armed security personnel to guard them overnight. Approval to begin the exhumation was granted by Puttur assistant commissioner Stella Verghese, who arrived at the Dharmasthala police station on Tuesday morning. She was joined by forensic scientists from Udupi and other officials, including SIT second-in-command DIG MN Anucheth, superintendent of police (SP) Jithendra Kumar Dayama and scene-of-crime experts.
{{/usCountry}}Labourers, along with SIT officials and the informant, began digging around 12.15 pm at the forested section to the left of the bathing ghat. Officials initially expected the process to take around two hours per site, but the exercise extended longer, ending without success.
Heavy rainfall in the region significantly slowed the digging operations. Water seeped into the site from underneath the soil, forming slush and complicating the excavation process. The forest floor, already softened by persistent rains, quickly turned marshy, requiring repeated clearing of water before any further digging could continue.
“The rain was a major problem,” said an SIT officer supervising the effort. “Even before we could dig two or three feet, water started pooling in from beneath. This kind of terrain, especially after days of rain, is extremely difficult to work with.”
This operation follows nearly a month after the man, who claimed to have worked as a sanitation worker in Dharmasthala for several years, submitted a detailed complaint to the authorities. His claims included having personally buried bodies -- many of them women -- over a span of years, allegedly under duress and with the knowledge of others. The gravity of his allegations had led to the formation of a high-level SIT to investigate the matter.
The SIT’s approach in the case includes the presence of forensic scientists for every stage of the operation. Officials are expected to use DNA sampling and crime scene analysis tools in case any remains are recovered in the coming days.
Security remains tight in Dharmasthala, with armed police deployment near the bathing ghat and surrounding forest area. Locals, while largely quiet, have been observing the developments with growing unease as the probe continues in one of Karnataka’s most prominent religious and cultural sites. The SIT will continue its work at the remaining marked locations, with officials maintaining that every site shown by the complainant will be investigated thoroughly.