Representative Image of accused Chinnayya
SIT must summon Chinnayya, who allegedly disposed of Sowjanya’s body
Bengaluru
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted to re-investigate 17-year-old Sowjanya’s murder has to begin enquiry with C N Chinnayya. The blrpost.com has reliably learnt that he was allegedly involved in disposing of the body of the murder victim.
The State government on Thursday (September 24, 2026) constituted the SIT, headed by IGP N Shashi Kumar, following the Supreme Court’s directives. The team includes four other police officials — C H Sudheer Kumar Reddy, Nisha James, Lokesh B Jagalasar and Venkatesh Prasanna.
However, Sowjanya activists have expressed dissatisfaction with the composition of the team, with questions being raised over the credibility of Shashi Kumar and Venkatesh Prasanna.
Chinnayya’s alleged role
Chinnayya, who worked in Dharmasthala for nearly 19 years between 1995 and 2014, allegedly had a role in the events surrounding Sowjanya’s murder, sources said.
In multiple videos, Chinnayya himself has stated that he received a phone call on October 9, 2012, informing him about the body that needed disposal.
According to his account, the Dharmasthala authorities informed him about the body and he was not in Dharmasthala on the day of the murder.
Chinnayya has said that he returned to the temple town the following day and learnt about Sowjanya’s death. However, sources have claimed that he was present in Dharmasthala village when the incident occurred.
Sources further alleged that Chinnayya — the masked man who filed the complaint that triggered the Dharmasthala mass-burial investigation — was a trusted errand boy of the authorities and was allegedly used to carry out sensitive tasks for an influential family. He is also accused in mass burial case.
Sources claimed that Chinnayya was instructed to dispose of Sowjanya’s body and that he subsequently took it to Mannasanka and disposed of it there.
The SIT’s questioning of Chinnayya could, according to the sources, provide crucial leads about what happened to Sowjanya’s body after her murder and potentially help investigators identify those who were allegedly involved in the rape and murder.