Advocates demand SIT probe

UNRAVELLING the mystery surrounding the alleged rape, murder and burial of several women in Dharmasthala has presented the Dakshina Kannada police with an arduous task.

- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bengaluru

With questions swirling about the whereabouts of the former sanitation employee-turned-whistleblower despite police offering protection under Witness Protection Scheme, police have sought permission from court to conduct brain mapping, fingerprint, and narco analysis tests on him, subject to his consent.

On Wednesday, SP Dr Arun K said the whistleblower's whereabouts were unknown. The whistleblower's lawyers, however, said police's claim was false. They said the complainant is available to cooperate with the probe but police are not prompt in their response.

The SP cited Rule 7 of the Witness Protection Scheme, stating that enforcement of protection requires both the consent and active cooperation of the witness, neither of which had been forthcoming. On July 10, police had communicated the necessary procedures for extending protection to the complainant's legal representative, but since then, communication had remained limited to email and no concrete information on the complainant's current location.