Dharmasthala Crimes: SIT finds red blouse, ATM card, Pan, bag in first spot

A highly placed source said one of the cards bears the name of Laksmi. As per RTI document accessed by Blrpost.com a person identified as Lakhmi allegedly died by suicide in 2009 at Gangotri guest house in Dharmasthala

Bengaluru

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Dharmasthala mass burial case has found a torn red blouse, an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card, a PAN card, a bag, and other materials at the first spot dug up on Tuesday. These items have been sealed and preserved for further investigation.

Also Read | Dharmasthala deaths: 474 suicides in 12 years, 90 women among the dead in temple town, RTI reveals

The SIT, headed by Director General of Police (DGP) Pronab Mohanty, began the excavation on Tuesday to exhume skeletal remains or bodies. On Monday, the SIT had marked 13 out of 15 sites in Dharmasthala’s Sthnana Ghatta (bathing point) and another location near the main road. The witness-complainant has named 15 spots.

Sources said the red blouse and other items were found at a depth of 2.5 feet, prompting deeper excavation. The team eventually dug down to 8 feet by 6 feet at the first site. One of the recovered cards bears the name ‘Lakshmi’. These findings were made within two hours of commencing the dig. The SIT did not find any human skeletal remains in this spot.

According to an RTI document accessed by Blrpost.com, a person named Lakshmi allegedly died by suicide in 2009 at the Gangotri Guest House in Dharmasthala. However, it is important to note that the recovered card could belong to any person named Lakshmi and may not be connected to that particular case. The RTI document lists suicide cases that occurred in and around Dharmasthala between 2001 and 2012, with records maintained at the Belthangady Police Station.

A senior SIT source said these could be coincidental findings and may not be directly related to the case. However, the Assistant Commissioner (Revenue) will seize all items deemed important. The source also stated that the discovery indicates the area may not be abandoned and might have been used by several people. The SIT will continue the digging process on Wednesday. So far, the team has not faced any political pressure, despite the gravity of the case.

It is worth noting that the Karnataka government constituted the SIT on July 19, appointing DGP Pronab Mohanty as its head. After assembling a 20-member team, the investigation began in earnest.

The complainant had filed a report at the Dharmasthala Police Station on July 3, alleging that he was coerced into burying bodies. An FIR was registered on July 4. Following a legal plea by his counsel, the government set up the SIT.

The complainant, who worked for the Dharmasthala Temple Institution as a sanitation worker from 1995 to 2014 across various departments, has alleged a disturbing pattern of mass burials. According to him, many of the deceased were not simply unclaimed or unidentified individuals, but victims of serious crimes—hidden under the guise of the institution’s sanctity.