The SIT (Special Investigation Team), probing the allegations of multiple rapes, murders and burials in Dharmasthala over a period of the past two decades, on Saturday took arrested witness-complainant Chinnayya to undisclosed locations for a spot mahazar, police sources said.
According to information available from the sources in the district police, Chinnayya is being taken to Bengaluru, where he allegedly got the human skull; the SIT team escorted him under tight security around 6 am to conduct mahazars at sites linked to his statements. The officials also said to have seized documents during the exercise.
However, there has been no official word on the exact locations where Chinnayya was taken. "The process was carried out early in the morning in view of security concerns. Details of the places visited and documents secured cannot be disclosed at this stage," a source familiar with the investigation said.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Saturday stated that it is impossible to ask the SIT to submit its report on the alleged Dharmasthala mass case within a time-bound framework.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Parameshwara said, "We have only asked the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to expedite the probe into the alleged Dharmasthala murder case. It is not possible to ask them to submit a report within a fixed timeframe."
He added that it is currently unclear which direction the investigation is heading. "If the investigation is completed early, the report will be submitted accordingly. Otherwise, the SIT will continue probing the case until they reach a conclusion," he said.
"These are not matters where we can demand that the investigation be completed in a certain manner or within a stipulated period. A specific timeframe cannot be given in this case,” HM Parameshwara emphasised.
A controversy erupted after a complainant, later identified as CN Chinnaiah and arrested on charges of perjury, claimed burying a number of bodies, including those of women with signs of sexual assault, in Dharmasthala over a period of time, with the implications pointing towards the administrators of the local temple.
The Bharatiya Janata Party had protested against targeting the temple. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar had also warned of action if the complaint was false. Veerendra Heggade, the Dharmadhikari or the custodian of the temple too had welcomed the constitution of the SIT.
Also read: Dharmasthala case SIT files forgery charges on whistleblower
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