A file photo of SIT personnel near a site of an alleged burial related to the Dharmasthala mass burial case, at Dharmasthala, in Dakshina Kannada district.
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The 45-year-old Chinnaiah, who was arrested on charges of perjury in the Dharmasthala case and who had produced skeletal remains before a Belthangady court, has reportedly told the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case, that the skeletal remains were given to him by Vittala Gowda, uncle of Soujanya, who was raped and murdered near Dharmasthala in October 2012.
Sources in the SIT said that as a follow-up to the statement of Chinnaiah, the SIT questioned Vittala Gowda on Saturday. Earlier the SIT had questioned activists Girish Mattannavar and T. Jayanth and YouTuber Abshishek over the skeletal remains produced in the court.
Late on Saturday, Gowda took SIT to a spot in Dharmasthala from where he claimed that the skeletal remains, which was produced in the court, were picked up. SIT sources said a few skulls were found on the ground near the spot. Those skulls were not seized.
The SIT questioned Jayanth on the fourth day on Sunday to know about his role in producing skeletal remains before the court. The SIT also questioned Jayanth in connection with his complaint to the police that he had seen a police official burying the body of a 15-year-old girl, without following due norms, between 2002 and 2003 near Dharmasthala.
Mr. Mattannavar was also questioned in connection with production of skeletal remains, for the third day on Sunday.
The SIT arrested Chinnaiah for perjury on August 23 after the skeletal remains he produced before the court was found to be of a male. The SIT has excavated 17 sites identified by Chinnaiah. The partial skeletal remains found at site no.6 and soil samples from the remaining 16 sites have been sent to Forensic Science Laboratory for tests.
Chinnaiah was taken to Shivamogga jail on Saturday after a court remanded him in judicial custody.
Published – September 07, 2025 08:43 pm IST
