Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Dec 20: Just two days after walking out of Shivamogga Central Prison, “mask man” Chinnayya, an accused in the high-profile Dharmasthala case, has taken a dramatic turn by filing a complaint against five individuals, including Mahesh Shetty Thimarodu and YouTuber Sameer, who are also named accused in the same case.

This development has come as a surprise, especially in the backdrop of earlier reports which stated that Chinnayya had admitted he was instigated to give statements in connection with the case. His move to now lodge a complaint against those very individuals has raised fresh questions and added a new layer of intrigue to the ongoing investigation.

In the complaint submitted at Belthangady police station, Chinnayya has alleged that Mahesh Shetty Thimarodu, Girish Mattannavar, Vithal Gowda, Jayanth T, and YouTuber Sameer M D pose a serious threat to the lives of himself and his wife.

Citing “life threat” concerns, Chinnayya has sought police protection for himself and his family. The Belthangady police have formally accepted the complaint and stated that further action is under way.

Chinnayya, an accused in the Dharmasthala case, was released from Shivamogga Central Prison on December 17, after spending nearly four months behind bars. Though he had been granted bail earlier, his release came 23 days after bail approval.

The court ordered his release after his wife, Mallika, furnished a bond of Rs 1 lac along with two sureties. With this, the incarceration of Chinnayya — popularly referred to as the “Mask Man” — formally came to an end.

In connection with the Dharmasthala illegal burial case, SIT officials interrogated Chinnayya inside Shivamogga jail on October 17. The interrogation followed court permission, sought after Chinnayya was found to have repeatedly altered his statements before the court.

During the SIT questioning, Chinnayya is said to have put forth a new narrative, further complicating the already sensitive investigation.

In a significant earlier development, Sowjanya’s mother, Kusuma, had lodged a complaint against Chinnayya in August. Sowjanya was found dead as an unidentified body in Dharmasthala.

On August 29, Kusuma personally approached Belthangady police station and filed an official complaint against Chinnayya. This had marked yet another twist in the SIT probe, intensifying scrutiny around the role of the accused.

• Dharmasthala case: Chinnayya released from jail 24 days after bail
• Beltangady: SIT report reveals plot by six-member gang in Dharmasthala case
• SIT submits 3,923-page interim report on ‘mass burial’ conspiracy against Dharmasthala
• Dharmasthala case: Activist Jayant T writes to guv alleging assault and coercion by SIT officials
• Karnataka HC vacates stay in Dharmasthala case, tells SIT to avoid harassing activists
• Dharmasthala mass burial case: High Court grants temporary relief to Thimarodi, Mattannavar & team
• SIT likely to submit final report on Dharmasthala unnatural deaths case by Oct 31
• Dharmasthala cases: Women’s delegation urges CM Siddaramaiah to grant full autonomy to SIT
• Beltangady: Ambulance drivers questioned in Dharmasthala skull case over transport of bodies
• FSL report confirms three male skulls recovered in Dharmasthala case
• Beltangady: Second skeleton identified in Banglegudde mass grave case via ID card
• Beltangady: Son of U B Ayyappa, identified from Banglegudde skeletal remains, appears before SIT
• Dharmasthala case: Sowjanya’s uncle named in complaint; high court seeks info on burial sites
• Dharmasthala case: ID card hints at missing Kodagu man; SIT recovers 7 skulls in 2-day search
• Dharmasthala case: Human bone remains found in Banglegudde forest, SIT makes breakthrough
• Dharmasthala case: SIT gets over 30 plaints amid claims of murder, cover-up and likely exhumations
• Dharmasthala mass burial case: Thimarody flags 4 suspected murders to SIT; human remains found
• SIT revisits Dharmasthala burial site, skeletal remains sent for forensic tests
• New evidence emerges in Dharmasthala case: Original video shows remains hauled from forest
• Dharmasthala murder probe: Villagers write to SIT, offer to reveal alleged burial sites
• Dharmasthala case: Intelligence warned of conspiracy in 2023
• SIT steps up probe in Dharmasthala skull case, seizes hotel records linked to Chinnayya
• Dharmasthala ‘maskman’ identified as C N Chinnayya, remanded to 10-day SIT custody
• Dharmasthala ‘skull’ case takes dramatic turn; sourced from medical research centre
• Dharmasthala case: ‘Maskman’ arrested by SIT for giving false information
• Dharmasthala case: Fresh search for bones likely after FSL report
• Dharmasthala case: RTI reveals 279 bodies buried since 1987; most unclaimed, SIT probe intensifies
• SIT probe in Dharmasthala case at crucial stage; operation may conclude soon
• Dharmasthala case: Witness complainant shows new site near Kanyadi
• New witness emerges in Dharmasthala mass burial case, claims key evidence
• Dharmasthala case: SIT considering narco test on complainant? Key developments emerge
• Beltangady: SIT deploys ground penetrating radar at 13th site in Dharmasthala burial probe
• Dharmasthala grave mystery: SIT finds nothing at Ratnagiri Hill’s ‘point 16’ despite day-long dig
• Dharmasthala mass burial case: SIT begins excavation at 14th site after discovery of human remains
• Body found at new location during SIT operation in Dharmasthala case
• Dharmasthala mass burial: Fifth day search yields no remains at two new suspected sites
• Dharmasthala burial case: Skeletal remains found at sixth location
• No human remains found yet in Dharmasthala case; PAN, ATM cards recovered, probe continues
• No human remains found on Day 1 of SIT’s excavation at Dharmasthala forest site
• Exhumation begins in Dharmasthala forest in mass grave case; medical team joins SIT
• Armed security deployed at Dharmasthala as SIT identifies suspected mass burial sites in forest area
• Dharmasthala mass burials: Witness, complainant record statements as SIT begins probe
• SIT begins probe into Dharmasthala unnatural deaths; office set up in Beltangady
• SIT constituted to probe mass burial allegations, abuse cases in Dharmasthala region
• Witness may abscond after exhumation in Dharmasthala case, says DK SP
• Dharmasthala mass burials: Complainant's lawyers decry police response, demand protection, action
• Man claiming to have buried over 100 bodies near Dharmasthala appears before court
• Shocking allegation of multiple body disposals in Dharmasthala; complainant seeks protection
• Lawyers seek SP’s attention over Dharmasthala murder case; claim man identified burial spots
• Explosive letter goes viral: Alleges murders, cover-ups in Dharmasthala; claims bodies were hidden