Dharmasthala case: SIT arrests complainant for ‘misleading’ authorities

Mangaluru: In a major development, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has arrested the unidentified complainant, also referred to as the “mask man”, in connection with the Dharmasthala case, sources confirmed on Saturday.

However, an official statement from the SIT regarding the arrest is yet to be released.

The sources stated that the complainant was arrested on charges of providing false information related to the Dharmasthala case.

SIT officials, who interrogated him for more than 15 hours since Friday, concluded that he had been misleading the authorities.

According to sources, the complainant has been identified as C. S. Chinnaiah, also known as Chenna.

He is expected to be produced before the Belthangady court soon, and authorities are likely to seek his police custody for further investigation.

SIT Chief DGP Pronab Mohanty also questioned the complainant.

The sources revealed that he confessed to being lured by certain individuals to make allegations and press for a specific course of investigation.

Following the serious claims made by the complainant, authorities had carried out excavations at 17 different locations in the temple town of Dharmasthala.

On July 11, the complainant claimed that he had been forced to bury the bodies of women and girls who were raped and murdered in Dharmasthala, and recorded his statement.

He requested that the bodies be exhumed in his presence and alleged that the victims bore clear signs of sexual assault.

In addition, the whistleblower reportedly submitted a skull, allegedly recovered from one of the burial sites, to the SIT.

He was given protection under the Witness Protection Act, and facilities were extended.

The police sources said that the protection given to the complainant has been revoked.

On August 7, state Home Minister Parameshwara confirmed that the SIT probing the alleged mass grave case in the temple town of Dharmasthala in Mangaluru district has recovered a male skeleton and human bones from the marked burial sites, which have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL).

He stated, “The unknown complainant claimed that he had buried dead bodies at 13 locations. Based on his revelations, the SIT excavated the sites. At the sixth location, a male skeleton was recovered, and at the 13th point, nothing has been found yet. Apart from this, multiple bones were recovered from a new spot.”

“All these aspects are being taken into consideration, and the human remains have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory,” HM Parameshwara had said.

IANS