In a significant development, the Karnataka government has transferred the Dharmasthala burial case to a Special Investigation Team (SIT) for a thorough and impartial probe. According to an official order dated July 19, the SIT will be led by Pronab Mohanty, Director General of the Internal Security Division, and will include senior IPS officers M N Anucheth, Soumyalatha, and Jitendra Kumar Dayama.
Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police, Dr. Arun K, confirmed that the SIT will soon assume control of the investigation, currently registered as Case No. 39/2025 at the Dharmasthala Police Station under Section 211(a) of the BNS.
The action follows a letter dated July 14 from the Chairperson of the Karnataka State Commission for Women, which highlighted disturbing claims made by an individual in court. The individual alleged that he had buried hundreds of bodies in the Dharmasthala region. The letter referenced news reports of a recovered human skull and testimonies from relatives of missing women and a medical student.
The allegations include rape, murder, unnatural deaths, and multiple disappearances of women and girl students over the last two decades. In response, the government has empowered the SIT to investigate all related criminal cases across the state — both existing and potential — and to consolidate these under a single probe.
The SIT will operate from the Dakshina Kannada District Police Office and must keep the DG & IGP informed in real time. A comprehensive report is to be submitted to the government upon completion.