No Human Remains Found at Dharmasthala on Day 4

Mangaluru: No human remains were found at the two sites that were dug by the special investigation team (SIT) to look into the allegations of murder and secret burials at Dharmasthala on the fourth day on Friday.

The complainant, a former sanitation worker at Dharmasthala, had identified 13 locations on Monday where he claimed bodies of murder and sexual assault victims had been buried.

The SIT began digging these spots on Tuesday, starting with one location on the first day and four on the second day. While no human remains were found on the first two days, skeletal remains were recovered at the sixth spot on Thursday.

On Friday, digging was carried out at Points 7 and 8, both located near the Netravati river. The first site was opened around 11.30 am and work continued until the afternoon before the team shifted to the other site. Protective nets have been erected around the area, and the whistleblower was present during the digging.

By 5 pm, no evidence was found at either spot, and the day’s operation was called off. The remaining locations, some of which are on higher ground, are expected to be searched in the coming days.

The SIT has collected details of unnatural death report (UDR) records of the deaths between 1995 and 2014 maintained at the Dharmasthala police station. The sanitation worker had alleged that he had buried the bodies of crime victims during this period.

These records will be crucial in determining whether any remains recovered correspond to reported cases or to unregistered burials.

According to sources, in earlier years, unclaimed bodies in Dharmasthala — including those documented under UDR — were buried by local panchayats on government land as there was no crematorium in the area.