Dharmasthala burials: Human remains found at 6th site

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On the third consecutive day of exhumation in Dharmasthala, partial human skeletal remains were found at site number 6, marking the first site to yield such evidence in the case currently under investigation, India Today reported.

According to the report, the skeletal remains are most likely of a male. The remains were found at Spot 6 near the Nethravathi river — one of the 15 suspected spots where a former sanitation worker claimed that he was forced to bury and cremate bodies of women and minors between 1998 and 2014 in the temple town.

The remains were secured for further examination. Officials were quoted by India Today saying that a detailed forensic analysis will be carried out to determine the age, origin, and circumstances of the burial.

As per the report, on Wednesday, the five sites identified in the case had yielded no evidence of human remains. The first of these sites, located along the Nethravathi River, was excavated on Tuesday. In the presence of the whistleblower, officials, forensic experts, and revenue department staff used a JCB machine to dig deeper, but the site did not produce any remains.

According to the report, eight of the sites are along the banks of the Nethravathi River, while locations 9 to 12 are beside the highway near the river. The 13th site is on the road connecting Nethravathi to Aajukuri, and the remaining two are in the Kanyadi area near the highway.