New Twist in Dharmasthala case: SIT arrests complainant for ‘misleading’ authorities

August 23, 2025

There has been a new twist in the case of burying several bodies in Dharmasthala in Karnataka. The complainant in this case has been arrested by the Special Investigation Team of the state government. This person had been accused of several murders, rapes, and the burial of bodies in Dharmasthala in the last two decades.

According to reports, SIT chief Pranab Mohanty questioned the complainant till late Friday night. He was arrested on Saturday morning. Officials said that the arrest was made after discrepancies were found in the statement and documents.

The complainant was a former sweeper of the temple. He has claimed that he worked in Dharmasthala between 1995 and 2014, and was forced to bury several bodies, including women and minors.

He had alleged that some of the bodies had marks of sexual assault. He had also given a statement before a magistrate in this regard. A case was registered in July at Dharmasthala police station on the complaint of the sweeper.

On July 19, the Karnataka government formed an SIT to investigate the case. Based on the statement of the complainant, the team conducted excavations at 13 places. During this, a skeleton and some human bones were found.