Is ‘Mask Man’ Under Trouble? SIT Arrests Dharmasthala Complainant Over ‘False’ Burial Claims

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating sensational Dharmasthala mass burial charges has arrested the complainant, commonly referred to as ‘Maskman’, on charges of giving false information. Authorities have confirmed that he was arrested after prolonged interrogation and will be produced before Beltangady court on Saturday, August 23, at 11 am.

As per SIT sources, the chief investigator Pranav Mohanty and his team questioned the complainant, who is a former sanitation worker, for close to 19 hours 10 am on August 22 and 5 am on August 23. After the tough questioning, investigators detected glaring inconsistencies in his statement and supporting papers. On these grounds, the SIT found that the allegations were concocted and went ahead with the arrest.

Maskman’s shocking claims in Dharmasthala mass murders

The sanitation worker had complained before, that he had to bury many bodies during his time in Dharmasthala (1995–2014), often women and children who showed signs of sexual assault. He also had led investigators to parts of the forest along the Netravathi River where skeletal remains had been dug up. Forensic identification of the remains, however, is yet to be confirmed.

Authorities reported that in spite of his taped statement in front of a magistrate, inconsistencies in his testimony and the absence of corroborating evidence weakened the case. Following the marathon interrogation, he also underwent a medical examination.

The row had gone further when a woman from Bengaluru, Sujatha Bhat, had reported that her daughter had disappeared in 2003 at Dharmasthala. She later took back her statement, confessing her charges were based on a dispute relating to property with temple authorities.

With the arrest of the complainant, the SIT has said the mass burial claims could have been fraudulent, but forensic reports on the skeletal remains will figure in winding up the probe.

The ‘mysterious’ Dharmasthala mass murders

The Dharmasthala mass burial case has become one of the most disturbing issues in the state of Karnataka. Because of sensational allegations made by a former sanitation worker, the case gained the attention and focus of civil society, activists, and the mainstream media. The case rests on sensational charges made by a former sanitation worker, in whose testimony he alleged that from 1998 to 2014 he was compelled to burn or bury the bodies of several women and children under threat of death.

Sujatha’s confession is a dramatic about-turn from her original police report lodged this week, in which she accused her 18-year-old medical student daughter Ananya of disappearing during a temple trip in May 2003.

In the first statement, she said she was kidnapped, raped, and instructed not to speak, before she was left to die in a coma and taken to a private hospital in Bengaluru.

ALSO READ: Twist In Dharmasthala Mass Burials Row: Bengaluru Woman Retracts Statement, Says ‘Was Asked To Do So’