- By Yashashvi Tak
- Sun, 06 Jul 2025 03:42 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
A man from Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district has alleged that he was forced to burn and bury the bodies of rape victims. He claimed the victims included several women, including schoolgirls, who he believes were raped and murdered in Dharmasthala and surrounding areas between 1998 and 2014.
The man, a former sanitation worker employed by the Dharmasthala temple administration, approached local police earlier this week, seeking protection for himself and his family.The man said he decided to come forward after nearly a decade, driven by guilt and a desire to seek justice for the victims, according to the HT report.
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“The person has requested not to reveal his identity and after obtaining necessary permission from the court, we registered a case,” Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police Arun K said, according to the HT report.
Advocates Ojaswi Gowda and Sachin Deshpande, representing the complainant, shared details of his statement with the police. The complainant said he had submitted photographs of human remains he claims to have recently exhumed, remains he alleges were buried by him years ago.
“I request the police to exhume the remains of bodies buried by me. About 11 years ago, I left Dharmasthala along with my family and hid ourselves and lived in a neighbouring state. We are haunted daily that we will also be killed,” the man said, according to the HT report.
A response from the government on the matter is still awaited.
In his complaint, the former sanitation worker stated that he initially believed the bodies he encountered, mostly of unclothed women, were victims of suicide or drowning. However, he later noticed signs of sexual assault, strangulation, and other injuries on some of the corpses.
“One incident has haunted me forever. A girl between 12 and 15 years was found lying dead about 500 metres away from a petrol bunk at Kalleri in 2010. She was wearing a school uniform and her skirt and innerwear were missing and she had marks of sexual assault and strangulation,” man said in his complaint, according to the HT report.
He further alleged that he was instructed to dig a pit and bury the body of a schoolgirl along with her schoolbag. The man also claimed to have witnessed multiple murders of homeless men and beggars in the Dharmasthala area over the years.
According to the HT report, he alleged that his supervisor ordered him to secretly dispose of the bodies. When he refused and threatened to report the incidents to the police, he was allegedly assaulted.
A case was registered at the Dharmasthala police station on July 3 under Section 211(a) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which pertains to failure to provide required information in the manner and time prescribed by law. The investigation is currently underway.
