‘I was forced to bury bodies for years’: Ex-sanitation worker’s chilling claim in Karnataka’s Dharmasthala; shares photocopies of skull, skeletal remains | Mangaluru News

MANGALURU: In a startling revelation that can unearth – quite literally – long-buried crimes, a former sanitation worker has filed a complaint with Dharmasthala police, claiming he was coerced into secretly disposing of multiple dead bodies over several years.A written complaint, dated July 3, was submitted by the complainant to the office of the superintendent of police and Dharmasthala police station, and a case was registered under BNS on July 4.The complainant further said he had recently returned to one of the burial sites and exhumed skeletal remains of some of the bodies he had buried, photographs of which were submitted to the authorities. In keeping with the complainant’s request for anonymity, police have withheld personal details. The complainant has sought legal protection.Complainant offered to identify perpetrators The complainant has offered to identify the perpetrators and reveal the burial sites – potentially opening a Pandora’s box.“Colour photocopies of two photographs, showing a skull and some skeletal remains, have been submitted to the police station. While submitting the complaint on behalf of the complainant, his lawyer had issued a written statement that sketches [of those killed] would be submitted to the court at a later stage,” police confirmed.

Police are yet to confirm the authenticity of some of the skeletal remains that have been found or the exact number of victims. However, the case has already triggered unease in Dharmasthala, a town known more for its spiritual legacy than criminal intrigue.The man, who reportedly worked as a sanitation worker in Dharmasthala from 1995-2014, has alleged he was forced into disposing of dead bodies pertaining to acts of crime. Sensing that his own life could now be in danger, the whistleblower claims to have fled the town, along with his family, and dropped anchor in a neighbouring state — incognito.In a press release issued on Friday, Dakshina Kannada SP Dr Arun K said: “The complainant has claimed he had secretly disposed of the bodies of those killed due to criminal activities. Now, burdened with guilt, he has expressed his willingness to reveal full details of those involved in the crimes and the locations where the bodies were buried, provided he and his family get legal protection.”