On September 17 and 18, 2025, a search operation by SIT officials at Bungalegudde in Dharmasthala village, Belthangady taluk, uncovered seven skeletons, which were subsequently sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for analysis. The FSL has now confirmed the identities of three individuals among these skeletons through DNA testing. The skeletons were found at a spot indicated by Soujanya’s uncle Vithala Gowda, near Netravati Snanaghatta in Dharmasthala village. Some ID cards discovered at the site helped locate family members, who underwent DNA tests at the Belthangady court, with the samples being sent to the FSL laboratory. The FSL report reveals that the DNA of three families matches the skeletons. The identified individuals are U.B. Ayyappa, 70, from T. Shettigeri village, Virajpet taluk, Kodagu district; Adishesha Narayana, 27, from Dasarakallahalli, Gubbi taluk, Tumakuru district; and Krishnappa, 85, from Meesaganahalli, Srinivaspura taluk, Kolar district. U.B. Ayyappa’s family had filed a missing person’s report at the Srimangala Police Station, Kutta Circle, after he went missing on June 25, 2017, while undergoing treatment at a Mysuru hospital. The discovery of these skeletons and the subsequent identification through DNA testing bring closure to the families of the deceased.
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📰 Source: Vartha Bharati DK