84 unidentified bodies from Dharmasthala sent to KS Hegde for postmortem in last 10 years
According to the document, 681 cases involving unnatural deaths were registered between 2015 and 2026
Mangaluru
As many as 84 unidentified dead bodies in 123 Unnatural Death Report (UDR) cases registered in the Dharmasthala police station limits were sent to KS Hegde Hospital in Mangaluru for postmortem, according to data available with the Dharmasthala police station . These bodies are sent between 2015 and 2026.
The figures, contained in a police document dated February 3, 2026, provide year-wise details of cases registered in the Dharmasthala police station limits involving unnatural deaths and unidentified bodies. The data was secured through the Right to Information Act.
According to the document, 681 cases involving unnatural deaths were registered between 2015 and 2026, of which 123 were UDR cases involving unidentified dead bodies. Of these 123 cases, the bodies in 84 cases were sent to KS Hegde Hospital, Mangaluru, for postmortem examination.
The year-wise figures show that the number of such cases varied considerably over the period.
In 2015, the police recorded no such case. In 2016, there were 48 cases, including 10 UDR cases, of which bodies in nine cases were sent to KS Hegde Hospital. In 2017, there were 56 cases, 10 UDR cases and seven cases in which bodies were sent to the hospital.
The figures for 2018 were 63 cases, 12 UDR cases and 10 bodies sent to KS Hegde Hospital. In 2019, the corresponding figures were 59, seven and four, while in 2020 they were 51, eight and three.
In 2021, Dharmasthala police registered 67 cases, including 14 UDR cases, with 10 bodies sent to KS Hegde Hospital. In 2022, the figures were 74, 12 and nine respectively.
The number of cases increased further in 2023, when 88 cases were registered. Of these, 11 were UDR cases and six bodies were sent to KS Hegde Hospital.
The highest annual figures in the statement are recorded for 2024. That year, Dharmasthala police registered 97 cases involving unnatural deaths, including 26 UDR cases. Bodies in 17 of these cases were sent to KS Hegde Hospital for postmortem.
In 2025, there were 67 cases, including 11 UDR cases, with seven bodies sent to the hospital.
The document also contains figures for 2026, showing 11 cases, two UDR cases and two cases in which bodies were sent to KS Hegde Hospital. However, the introductory portion of the statement describes the period under consideration as 2015 to 2025, while the table includes a separate 2026 entry.
84 of 123 UDR cases
The figures indicate that unidentified dead bodies constituted a significant portion of the unnatural-death cases recorded by the Dharmasthala police during the period.
Of the 123 UDR cases, bodies in 84 cases — about 68 per cent — were sent to KS Hegde Hospital for postmortem.