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Mangaluru, Nov 24 (IANS) In a major development, a local court in Karnataka’s Mangaluru district on Monday granted bail to Chinnaiah, also known as the unidentified masked man, the complainant in the sensational Dharmasthala case.
Chinnaiah was arrested for misleading the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case.
Soon after the SIT submitted its report to the Belthangady court, Chinnaiah filed a bail plea. Mangaluru district court today approved his bail plea.
The court has granted bail with 12 conditions, including furnishing a bond of Rs 1 lakh.
The SIT arrested Chinnaiah – popularly known as the masked man – in connection with the alleged shrine murder case on August 23.
He was arrested for giving false information in connection with the case. SIT officials, who interrogated him for over 15 hours from August 22, concluded that he was misleading the officers.
In a major development on July 11, Chinnaiah – then known as an anonymous complainant – appeared before a court in Mangaluru district and recorded his statement.
He claimed that he was forced to bury the bodies of women and girls who were victims of rape and murder at the shrine.
He requested that the bodies be exhumed in his presence and alleged that the victims bore clear marks of sexual assault. According to him, the bodies were found without clothes or undergarments and had injuries consistent with violent sexual abuse.
These revelations created a stir throughout Karnataka.
Following his claims, a retired Supreme Court judge and several activists demanded a Supreme Court or High Court monitored SIT probe into the alleged shrine killings, which may involve the deaths of several women, girls and destitute men.
Furthermore, Chinnaiah, then known as the whistleblower, had reportedly handed over a skull to the SIT – which was reportedly recovered from one of the burial sites.
He was protected under the Witness Protection Act and given necessary facilities. However, police sources have now confirmed that the protection given to him under the Act has been cancelled.
–IANS
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