Police personnel deployed in Dharmasthala. (Representative image)
Credit: Special arrangement
Mangaluru: Sujatha Bhat, the complainant-witness in the probe of mass burial case in Dharmasthala, appeared before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Monday, following a notice issued to her.
Bhat had claimed that her daughter, Ananya Bhat — a medical student went missing from Dharmasthala in 2003.
However, the remaining four individuals — Mahesh Shetty Thimarody, Girish Mattannavar, T Jayant, and Vittal Gowda — failed to appear in person. An advocate representing them visited the SIT office in Belthangady and sought additional time for their clients to appear before the investigation team.
Sources in the SIT told DH, “An advocate requested some time for their appearance before the team. We will wait for a reasonable period and, if they do not turn up on the revised date, a fresh set of notices will be issued to all four,” an official said.
The official further emphasised that the presence of all five individuals is crucial to the ongoing investigation, as their statements are significant in corroborating the findings gathered by the SIT over the past few weeks. “Their statements will help us piece together the chain of events and determine the extent of their involvement,” the source added.
Senior SIT sources said the team is nearing completion of three months since it began its probe and is now in the final stages of compiling its initial investigation report to be submitted to the court.