Daijiworld Media Network - Beltangady
Beltangady, July 30: The Special Investigation Team’s (SIT) much-anticipated search operation near the Nethravathi bathing ghat in Dharmasthala concluded without recovering any human remains, despite over five hours of intensive digging on July 29.
Based on a complaint alleging that multiple bodies were buried in the forest area, the SIT launched a coordinated operation involving 13 civic workers and heavy equipment. The manual digging began around 12:30 pm using pickaxes and shovels and continued until 2:30 pm. As nothing was found, the complainant reportedly insisted on deeper excavation.
Acting on directions from investigating officer Anucheth, a mini Hitachi excavator was brought in, and mechanical digging commenced at 3:30 pm. The operation continued for over two hours, covering a depth of 8 feet and a width of 15 feet, but yielded no results.
Despite the excavator operating continuously, even the initial location identified by an informant did not produce any skeletal remains. The formation of a water-filled pit due to recent rains further hampered progress, raising logistical challenges for the team.
The SIT is expected to review the findings and decide on the next course of action. The failure to locate remains in the first phase has raised questions and stirred public curiosity over the accuracy of the lead.