Dharmasthala: SIT arrests complainant

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing allegations of multiple murders and mass burials in Dharmasthala town of Karnataka on Saturday arrested the main complainant for allegedly providing false information, officials familiar with the matter said.

- Arun Dev

The 48-year-old former sanitation worker, identified as CN Chinnaiah, was arrested on charges of perjury, a day after his protection under the Witness Protection Scheme was withdrawn. He was questioned late into Friday night, during which investigators found inconsistencies in his statements and supporting materials, officials said.

On July Hl, Chinnaiah appeared before a magistrate and gave a sworn statement reiterating his claims. He also handed over human remains, which he claimed belonged to a woman who was sexually assaulted, murdered, and buried in Dharmast-hala. However, forensic tests later confirmed the bones were those of'aman. “The analysis later confirmed the remains were those of a man. The material he produced continued on did not match his statement," an officer involved in the inquiry said on condition of anonymity.