Dharmasthala case: SIT officials revisit Banglegudde forest area

Udupi: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing allegations of mass burial in the temple town of Dharmasthala revisited the Banglegudde forest area near the Netravati river on Thursday as part of the ongoing investigation.

The SIT sleuths were accompanied by forensic experts.

The development comes against the backdrop of a video that surfaced on social media purportedly showing the recovery of a skull from the forest area.

The skull had reportedly been produced before court by complainant-witness Chinna C N, alias Chinnayya. However, Chinna later reportedly told the police that he had not personally exhumed the skull.

Pradeep Kulal, who allegedly filmed the skull recovery, appeared before the SIT and recorded his statement.

He was taken to the forest area by SIT officials and the forensic team during the inspection.

Sources said the investigators revisited the spot to verify the fresh findings that emerged during the course of the probe and also to gather additional evidence related to the location where the skull was allegedly found.

Eyewitnesses said the probe team entered the forest area around 2.30 pm carrying torches and other equipment. The officials reportedly remained in the forest till late evening.

Meanwhile, a senior SIT source clarified that the investigation team did not have any specific breakthrough during Thursday’s visit.

The source said the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team may have gone to Banglegudde to collect samples and carry out verification based on earlier requests made by the probe team.

The source also noted that forensic analysis generally takes considerable time and that the process of examining and verifying samples is still underway.