The Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the alleged Dharmasthala mass burial case on Friday searched a forested location in Boliyar along the Dharmasthala–Subrahmanya road as part of the exhumation process. Although speculation suggested the focus might be on Site No. 13, this location was not among those previously identified based on the complainant witness’s statement last week.
The afternoon search saw the presence of senior officials, including SP Jitendra Dayama, Puttur Assistant Commissioner Stella Varghese, and the complainant witness. Scene of Crime Officers (SoCO) assisted, while labourers arrived with pickaxes, shovels, and salt. An earthmover was also deployed.
According to SIT sources, the complainant witness alleged that a schoolgirl aged 10–15, wearing a uniform and carrying a schoolbag, was buried at the site. However, Friday’s search yielded no skeletal remains. Operations will resume Saturday.
Following a recent clash at Pangala, the complainant witness sought security. The Dakshina Kannada police have assigned an escort and an armed guard. By 6 pm, the search team had returned, and the witness was taken back to the SIT office.
Sources further revealed that two additional witnesses claimed to have seen the complainant secretly transporting and burying bodies at various sites. They requested to assist in future searches and to indicate separate locations.
In a significant move, the government has granted the SIT police station status under the BNSS, 2023, empowering its officers to act as Station House Officers (SHOs) and directly register and investigate cases without routing through local police stations.