The face of the anonymous man who claimed to have buried hundreds of bodies in and around Dharmasthala has now been revealed. The man, identified as Chinnaiah, a native of Mandya, was arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) and produced before the Belthangady court.
After his story was unravelled by SIT investigators during questioning, Chinnaiah, who claimed he was from a Scheduled Caste community, confessed to lying. He reportedly described himself as a pawn used by masterminds who remain behind the scenes.
According to reports, Chinnaiah, the "mask man," told the investigation team that he met the perpetrators in Tamil Nadu in the last week of December of last year. Kannadaprabha quoted him as saying that they offered him money to be part of their plot. They wanted him to drastically turn the case against the shrine and assured him there was no need to be afraid.
The news report states that the gang convinced the man that once he managed to create a storm around Dharmasthala, more complainants would come forward in a domino effect. He was told that a proper investigation would then take place and he would be unharmed.
"Initially, I was given some training in Bengaluru. I was told how to answer when questioned by the police. Then, I would act as the mastermind told me. I would provide information as they told me," he said. "I am just the character here; the mastermind was someone else." Kannadaprabha further explained his statement.
'Maskman' produced before the Court
The SIT presented the complainant, a witness in the case of alleged burial of bodies related to criminal acts in Dharmasthala village, before the Belthangady court. The witness had claimed to have dug up and buried a body himself, and he produced a skull, which he claimed was from the same. However, during interrogation, he refused to reveal to the SIT where the skull was taken from. Investigators questioned him until late on Friday night.
After he admitted to lying, the SIT authorities took him into custody. On Saturday morning, he was taken for a medical examination and then produced in court.
The SIT had previously dug up and conducted searches at 17 of the 18 places indicated by the witness-complainant in Dharmasthala village. The remains of a dead body were found in one of the dug-up places and on the ground at another. The SIT has sent these remains to a forensic laboratory for analysis. The complainant, a former sanitation worker, claimed that he worked in Dharmasthala between 1995 and 2014 and was forced to bury several bodies, including those of women and minors. He alleged that some of the bodies bore signs of sexual assault and had previously recorded a statement before a magistrate.