In a major breakthrough in the Dharmasthala burial site investigation, officials found skeletal remains at one of the locations identified by a key witness.

The remains were found on Thursday, July 31, at a depth of two-three feet at the 6th excavation point near the Nethravathi river.

It is one of the 13 spots where the whistleblower, a former sanitation worker, claimed he had buried many bodies between 1995 and 2014. He said many bodies were buried in Dharmasthala in the Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka.

This is the first major discovery since the two-day inspection that began on July 29.

While it is unclear what parts of the skeleton were found, sources told the News Minute that the remains belonged to a male. Officials said a further forensic examination will be required to determine more specific details.

Following the discovery of human remains at Spot 6, the SIT team has yet to make a decision on whether to begin excavation at Spot 7 immediately.

On July 29, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) began excavating at the locations pointed out by a former sanitation worker.

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What did the whistleblower allege? The whistleblower, a former sanitation worker at the Dharmasthala temple, reportedly alleged that over 20 years, he was repeatedly ordered by his superiors to bury several bodies.

He claimed many of these were bodies of women and girls who appeared to have been sexually assaulted.

The witness had earlier identified 15 locations in Dharmasthala where he claimed bodies had been buried.

“The first 8 locations are along the banks of the Netravati river, while sites 9 to 12 are situated near the highway beside the river. The 13th location lies along the road connecting Netravati to Ajukuri, with the final two in the Kanyadi area near the highway,” Mathrubhumi reported.

The complainant claimed he was coerced to bury over 100 bodies — mostly of women and girls in Dharmasthala between 1995 and 2014, TOI reported.

SIT probe begins On 28 July, the witness led the SIT to the alleged burial sites near the snana ghatta, the bathing ghat at the Nethravathi, which flows close to the temple.

Officials from the revenue, forest and other departments accompanied the SIT as the whistleblower pointed out each location and described the circumstances in which the bodies were buried.

The allegations of mass burials at Dharmasthala first came to light towards the end of June, when advocates representing the whistleblower held a press conference detailing the man’s claims.

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What Karnataka police found at Dharmasthala? The Karnataka Police found a skeleton on Spot 6 in a major discovery in the case

Discovered in a forested area near the Netravathi river, the remains included 15 bones – some broken – but no skull, officials were quoted by the Times of India as saying.

A forensic doctor at the site reportedly said the bones were from a male individual, though a final confirmation is expected only after a full forensic examination.

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According to the report, the SIT also recovered PAN and debit cards from the first site exhumed two days ago.

As per the report, no human remains were recovered from the first five locations excavated on Wednesday.

The first of these was dug up on Tuesday in the presence of a witness. Despite additional efforts involving a JCB after water flow was detected, no evidence was found at that particular site, Mathrubhumi reported.