Karnataka government forms SIT to probe allegations of mass crimes in Dharmasthala

Karnataka government forms SIT to probe allegations of mass crimes in Dharmasthala

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, July 20, 2025: The Karnataka government has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to conduct a thorough and impartial probe into serious allegations linked to a case registered at the Dharmasthala police station. The SIT will also investigate similar cases that may emerge across the state.

The decision comes in the wake of a formal request by the Karnataka State Commission for Women, following a sensational court statement by a man who claimed that hundreds of bodies were buried in the Dharmasthala region. The allegation, aired by Times Now and other media outlets on July 12, has raised public alarm, particularly in connection with the long-pending case of a missing medical student and the recent discovery of a human skull in the area.

The allegations, spanning nearly two decades, include serious charges of rape, murder, unnatural deaths, disappearances and abuse of women and students. In response, the state government has directed the SIT to conduct a comprehensive investigation into these matters.

The SIT will be headed by Dr. Pranav Mohanty, Director General of Police, Internal Security Division, Bengaluru. The other members include M.N. Anucheth, IPS, Additional Commissioner of Police (Recruitment), Bengaluru; Saumyalatha, IPS, Deputy Commissioner of Police, CAR Headquarters, Bengaluru; and Jitendra Kumar Dayama, IPS, Superintendent of Police, Internal Security Division, Bengaluru.

The SIT is also tasked with probing all related cases involving missing women, unnatural deaths, or suspected abuse across Karnataka that may be linked to the same pattern of crimes over the past 20 years.