E-Paper
Labourer gets witness protection in burial case
A daily-wage labourer who previously confessed to burying more than 100 dead bodies in and around Dharmasthala village in Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district appeared before a local court on Friday and recorded his formal statement under heavy security, officials aware of the development said
A daily-wage labourer who previously confessed to burying more than 100 dead bodies in and around Dharmasthala village in Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district appeared before a local court on Friday and recorded his formal statement under heavy security, officials aware of the development said. The development comes even as the man has been granted security under the Witness Protection Scheme, 2018.
His legal team, advocates Ojaswi Gowda and Sachin S Deshpande, confirmed the protection. “A communication to this effect was sent to us on the evening of 10-Jul-2025 by the authorities concerned. The Complainant conveys his gratitude to the District judiciary, Dakshina Kannada, the Police authorities in Dakshina Kannada and the Government of Karnataka for acting expeditiously on the request for Witness Protection for the Complainant,” they said in a statement.
The man, whose identity has not been disclosed due to security and investigative concerns, was produced before the principal civil judge and first class judicial magistrate in Belthangady at approximately 4.40 pm. He arrived masked and accompanied by his advocates, who had earlier submitted a formal complaint at the Dharmasthala police station on July 4.
Inside the courtroom, he reportedly reiterated his earlier claim — first made in a widely circulated video — that he personally buried over a hundred bodies, including those of young girls and women, near the temple town. His statement, which lasted nearly an hour and twenty minutes, was recorded in full by the magistrate and reportedly included location-specific details and other corroborative material.
Following the court proceedings, the man was handed over to Belthangady police for further questioning. He was taken back to the station on Friday night, where legal and procedural steps were ongoing.
Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) experts have arrived in Belthangady and are assisting local police with the technical dimensions of the investigation, including the planning of site inspections in suspected burial areas.
A senior police officer, who requested anonymity, described the labourer’s statement as “deeply disturbing” and confirmed that authorities were treating the matter with utmost seriousness. “Whether this is real, exaggerated, or fabricated will become clear only after site inspections and scientific verification,” the officer said. No prior complaints about mass graves in Dharmasthala had been recorded, making the man’s allegations all the more alarming.
Authorities are now waiting for judicial clearance to begin exhumation and verification. Police are preparing to inspect multiple sites mentioned by the complainant, with medical teams, local officials, and forensic specialists expected to assist in confirming the presence of any human remains.
The case has also drawn attention at the state level. Karnataka home minister G Parameshwara recently acknowledged the claims made by the former sanitation worker. “The police are investigating. At present, advocates have given complaints on behalf of the former sanitation worker. He should come forward and give a statement,” he said. The minister added that the former worker’s direct statement was crucial for the case to proceed. “We will see what can be done. The complaint at present is filed by advocates on behalf of the sanitation worker. He has to give a formal complaint, only then can it be taken forward,” he noted.
