Bengaluru, August 23, 2025 : The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing allegations of mass burials, murders, and sexual assaults in Dharmasthala has arrested one of the key complainants after discrepancies were found in his statements. Officials confirmed on Saturday that the complainant, a former sanitation worker who claimed to have worked in Dharmasthala between 1995 and 2014, was taken into custody following hours of interrogation by SIT chief Pranab Mohanty and his team.

According to investigators, the man had alleged that he was forced to bury numerous bodies over two decades, including those of women and minors, many showing signs of sexual assault. He also gave a statement before a magistrate and directed officials to alleged burial sites along the Netravathi River. Excavations at two locations led to the recovery of skeletal remains, though forensic confirmation is still pending. His arrest came after SIT officials flagged inconsistencies in his testimony and supporting documents. He was also taken for a medical examination after prolonged questioning.

The claims gained traction after another complainant, Sujatha Bhat, alleged that her daughter Ananya, an 18-year-old medical student, went missing during a visit to Dharmasthala in 2003. She said her daughter had vanished while shopping near the temple complex and that she herself had been abducted, tied up, and assaulted before being left in a coma. Bhat linked her daughter’s disappearance to mass burials and sexual crimes allegedly tied to the temple authorities, sparking public protests and widespread outrage.

However, on Friday Bhat retracted her allegations in a YouTube interview, admitting that her claims were fabricated. She revealed that her story was motivated by a property dispute involving her grandfather’s land, which she alleged had been taken over by the Dharmasthala temple authorities. “Some people told me to say it. I was asked to do it because of the property issue. That’s the only reason,” she said, naming activists Girish Mattannavar and T Jayanti as those who encouraged her to make the claims. Bhat, however, clarified that no financial transaction was involved.

The Karnataka government had earlier constituted the SIT to probe the allegations after they triggered political debates and intense media attention. State home minister G Parameshwara told the Assembly that only preliminary excavations had been carried out so far and the SIT would decide on further digging. He also cautioned that strict action would be taken against those filing false cases.

The arrest of the sanitation worker, coupled with Bhat’s public retraction, has cast serious doubt on the allegations of mass burials and systematic crimes in Dharmasthala. Yet, the SIT has maintained that its investigation will continue until forensic tests confirm the nature of the skeletal remains recovered.

The case, which initially appeared to suggest one of Karnataka’s darkest crime stories, has now turned into a major controversy over fabricated claims, political motivations, and personal disputes. The SIT’s next steps are expected to determine whether the episode will be closed as a false alarm or develop into a more complex investigation involving multiple actors.