Special Investigation Team (SIT) personnel began the process of exhuming bodies near the bathing ghat in the temple town of Dharmasthala in Dakshina Kannada district in Karnataka on July 29, 2025. Assistant Commissioner Puttur Stella Verghese and the former sanitation worker, who complained about mass burials, were present.
| Photo Credit: Raghava M
Nearly a month after a complaint about illegal burial of bodies in Dharmasthala, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) began the process of exhuming bodies that the 50-year-old sanitation worker claims to have buried a decade ago.
On July 28, the complainant showed 13 spots where bodies have allegedly been buried, around the bathing ghat in Dharmasthala, to the SIT personnel. The SIT personnel had marked the spots. Police personnel stood guard overnight at these spots.
On submission of the details of the spots to Assistant Commissioner (Puttur) Stella Verghese, the SIT was permitted to begin the process of exhuming the bodies. Ms. Verghese arrived at the Dharmasthala police station on July 29 morning. A team of forensic scientists also arrived at the police station. More than 10 labourers were called.
All the personnel, along with the complainant, went to the bathing ghat around 1 p.m. They proceeded to the forest area on the left side of the bathing ghat where labourers began digging the earth in search of the allegedly buried bodies.
Apart from Ms. Verghese, Superintendent of Police Jithendra Kumar Dayama, forensic scientists from Udupi, and scene of crime officers, were present at the spot.
The process of digging the earth in search of the allegedly buried bodies will go on for about two hours at the first spot, officials said.
Published – July 29, 2025 01:55 pm IST
