SIT Uses Ground Penetrating Radar to Investigate Secret Burials in Dharmasthala

Mangaluru: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged secret burials in Dharmasthala on Monday used Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) technology to examine Site No. 13, located on Ajikuri Road near the bathing ghat.

While the SIT had completed excavation in 16 points till Saturday, Site No. 13 has remained untouched so far. On Monday, officials, assisted by technicians, conducted an initial scan using a drone-mounted GPR.

Sources said the location poses technical challenges as it is said that the skeletal remains is deep below. The local panchayat has been directed to clear dense vegetation at the site to facilitate a clearer scan.

Officials are expected to conduct another round of GPR scanning after the land is cleared. It is yet to be decided whether the device will also be deployed at previously excavated locations and at fresh sites.

The SIT was formed by the state government following a July 3 complaint from a former sanitation worker, who alleged that several bodies had been secretly buried in Dharmasthala village. Based on the complaint, the SIT inspected the area and identified several locations for excavation.

The search began on July 29, with human remains reportedly found at two sites — spot number 6 and beneath a tree near spot number 11.