Masked man reveals conspiracy against Dharmasthala, deal struck for Rs 2 lakh initially

MANGALURU: The drama of the masked man in Dharmasthala has finally come to an end. After 12 days of investigation, 260 police personnel, 17 locations and 25 excavations, the special investigation team (SIT) has unmasked the accused, Chinnaiah.

After taking him into 10-day custody, the SIT has revealed another explosive detail. Chinnaiah had allegedly received Rs 2 lakh to start the drama and had struck a deal with a gang to falsely claim that he had buried hndreds of bodies of rape and murder victims.

The gang had contacted Chinnaiah in December 2023 and he had agreed to falsely claim to burying bodies. During interrogation, Chinnaiah revealed the names of the gang members, including Mahesh Shetty Thimmarodi and Girish Mattannanavar.

After 19 hours of interrogation, Chinnaiah spilled the beans about the masterminds behind the drama. The SIT is continuing its  interrogation of Chinnaiah and more details are expected to be revealed.

The FSL report had already revealed that the skull found was not from Dharmasthala and that Chinnaiah had brought the skull from another location. He had been telling different stories about the locations, but the FSL report confirmed that the skull was not from Dharmasthala.

Chinnaiah had been using the skull to get protection under the witness protection programme, and the SIT had been following his instructions. However, after the FSL report confirmed that the skull was not from Dharmasthala, the SIT changed their approach and interrogated Chinnaiah. He eventually cracked and revealed the truth about the drama and the people behind it.