Mangaluru, July 15, 2026
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Wednesday submitted its final report before a court in Belthangady in connection with the alleged Dharmasthala mass burial case, bringing to a close an extensive probe that has attracted significant public attention in Karnataka.
The final report, comprising 7,005 pages compiled into 12 volumes, was submitted before Additional Civil Judge Shashank Nagendra Bhat at around 3 pm. It includes statements from 255 witnesses, forensic science laboratory (FSL) reports, and other supporting documents gathered during the investigation.
The SIT also submitted a 4TB hard disk containing video-recorded statements of witnesses. Materials seized during the investigation, including skeletal remains, bones, mobile phones, and other items sent for forensic examination, were produced before the court after completion of testing.
SIT Superintendent of Police C.A. Simon, Inspector Kusumadhara, Inspector Manjunath, and other members of the investigating team were present during the submission of the report.
C.N. Chinnayya, considered a key figure and popularly referred to as the mask man in the case and one of the accused named in the proceedings, also appeared before the court along with his wife.
Earlier, on November 20, 2025, the SIT had filed a 3,923-page perjury report under Section 215 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against C.N. Chinnayya, Mahesh Shetty Timarodi, Girish Mattannavar, Jayanth T., Vittal Gowda, and Sujatha Bhat. However, the Belthangady court declined to accept the perjury report and directed the SIT to submit a comprehensive final report instead.
The report submitted on Wednesday includes the earlier 3,923-page perjury report along with an additional 3,082 pages, taking the total volume of the investigation records to 7,005 pages.
The Dharmasthala case pertains to allegations of mass burials in Dharmasthala village in Mangaluru district. The Dharmasthala mass burial case refers to allegations that several unidentified bodies were secretly buried in and around Dharmasthala, a prominent temple town in Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district, over a period of years.
The controversy surfaced after an individual, identified as C.N. Chinnayya, claimed that he had been forced to participate in the disposal and burial of bodies at various locations in Dharmasthala. His allegations triggered widespread public debate and led the Karnataka government to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the matter.(Agency)
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