The Dharmasthala unidentified bodies case in Karnataka has taken a major turn with police revealing that crucial records from 2000 to 2015 were deliberately destroyed.
Authorities confirmed that postmortem reports, wall posters, notices, and photographs that could have helped in identifying the deceased were destroyed under official orders. The issue surfaced following a complaint to the Income Tax Department. Social organizations have condemned the act, alleging that police lacked the authority to destroy criminal case records. The officers involved have reportedly been suspended.
Dharmasthala, a prominent spiritual hub in Karnataka, has been under scrutiny after multiple suspicious bodies were discovered. A sanitation worker previously confessed to burying several bodies in nearby forest areas. Based on his information, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been conducting excavations, recently recovering skeletal remains of a 13-year-old child, 15 other human bones, and clothing items.
Forensic teams have collected the remains for laboratory testing, and officials stated that further details will be disclosed after analysis. Excavations are ongoing across 13 identified sites as the SIT continues its probe into the case.