More claims, but no clues so far in Dharmasthala mass burial case as exhumation continues for 11th day

MANGALURU: The exhumations being carried out by the special investigation team (SIT) into the alleged mass burials in Dharmasthala is turning out to be an exercise in futulity as no human remains have been found so far. The skeletal remains found at Point 6 and Point 14 are suspected to be of suicide victims.

On the eleventh day of exhumation on Saturday, the SIT conducted exhumation at Point 16 atop Ratnagiri Hills, but found nothing. No traces of human remains were found at Points 15, 15A, 15B and 15C also. The anonymous complainant had claimed that he had buried a dead school girl at the spot near Kalleri back in 2010.

Surprisingly, on Saturday, the complainant claimed that doctors had conducted post-mortem examination on the body of the school girl and that the police were also present when he buried the body. He also claimed that he had buried a body under a dried-up tree atop Ratnagiri hillock where a Bahubali statue is installed.

The SIT conducted exhumation at Ratnagiri hill also with the help of a mini excavator but found nothing even after digging 10 feet deep. However, the complainant insisted on digging deeper, but when they found nothing, they called off the exercise for the day.

Meanwhile, two people have approached the Dharmasthala police claiming that they know the identity of the anomymous complainant and were also aware of where he had secretly buried many bodies. They have appealed to join the exhumation being carried out by the SIT and that they be allowed to independently identify the spot where bodies are allegedly buried.