MANGALURU, 17 SEPT

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the longstanding Dharmasthala case has reportedly uncovered skeletal remains during a search operation in the Banglegudda forest, near the Netravati bathing ghats in Dakshina Kannada district in the State on Wednesday.

According to officials, the remains were located in an area previously identified as a potential evidence site based on earlier witness testimonies. The SIT personnel have collected the bones and sent them for forensic examination.

This development follows claims made by local leader Vitthal Gowda, the uncle of the deceased, Soujanya, who stated that he had observed “decomposed bodies or skeletal remains” in the same region during a previous inspection.

Soujanya, a 17-year-old college student, was allegedly raped and murdered on 9 October 2012, in Dharmasthala. Authorities have yet to confirm whether the newly discovered remains correspond to the location identified by Gowda.

Search operations are ongoing in the dense Banglegudda forest area to determine if additional remains or crucial evidence can be found. The SIT officials have indicated that the area may hold further leads related to the case, with detailed forensic results pending.