On Friday, 22nd August, an elderly woman named Sujatha Bhat admitted that her earlier testimony about a missing daughter in Dharmasthala was false. Her fabricated statement had played a major role in fuelling conspiracy theories about mass burials and sexual assault at the holy temple town.

While speaking to a YouTube channel, Sujatha revealed that she had been manipulated by activists Girish Mattannavar and T. Jayanti, who were actively campaigning to tarnish the image of Dharmasthala. According to her, she was persuaded to create a story that never existed.

Earlier, Sujatha had claimed that her “daughter, Ananya Bhat, went missing in Dharmashtala in May 2003.” She described the imaginary Ananya as “an 18-year-old medical student who disappeared from the temple area.” These shocking allegations quickly spread fear and suspicion.

She also alleged that she was “kidnapped, tied up and threatened not to return to Dharmasthala.” Adding further drama, she said she was “assaulted, treated at a private hospital in Bengaluru and remained in a state of coma.”

Now, she has openly confessed, “It is not true. There was never any daughter named Ananya Bhat.” She clarified that even the photo presented as proof of Ananya’s existence was fake.

Explaining her reasons, she stated, “Some people told me to say it. I was asked to do it because of the property issue. That’s the only reason.” Reports suggest the issue was linked to a land dispute between her grandfather and the temple administration.

Importantly, she clarified that she was not bribed. “Nobody demanded money from me,” she said, making it clear that this was not financially motivated.

Finally, Sujatha issued a public apology: “Yes, for the people of Karnataka, for the devotees of Dharmasthala…I ask the people of this state, and the whole country, to forgive me…”

Meanwhile, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has directed her to appear before its office in Belthangady for further questioning on 22nd August.

SIT Search: 17 Sites Dug, No Skeletons of Any Woman Found

The ongoing investigation by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the Dharmasthala case has revealed no evidence to back up the shocking allegations. Despite multiple rounds of excavation, no skeletons of women have been discovered.

The SIT began digging operations on 29th July at the spots identified by a sanitation worker who had posed as a whistleblower. By 30th July, five of the 13 identified sites had already been dug up, but no human remains were recovered.

On 31st July, the SIT finally exhumed some remains at the sixth site. However, an official confirmed that these belonged to a man, not a woman. Around 15 bones were found at the site, several of which were broken. Importantly, no skull was discovered.

In addition to bones, investigators also recovered a debit card belonging to a woman and a PAN card belonging to a man. The SIT tracked down the PAN card owner and identified him as Suresh, a resident of Nelamangala taluk in Bengaluru Rural district.

Suresh’s father informed the authorities that his son had been an alcoholic and passed away due to jaundice in March 2025. This further weakened the conspiracy claims of mass female burials, as the remains were linked to a known deceased male.

Another Shocking Exposé: Fake Photos Used in Dharmasthala Conspiracy

In a fresh twist to the Dharmasthala controversy, Suvarna News has uncovered yet another shocking truth. The channel exposed that the photograph circulated by Sujatha Bhat, claiming it to be of her missing daughter “Ananya Bhat”, was nothing but a stolen image of another woman.

Investigations revealed that the picture actually belonged to Vasanthi, a woman from Kodagu who had died in 2007. This revelation further dismantled the already crumbling narrative around the so-called #DharmasthalaMassBurials conspiracy.

The expose also revealed the involvement of a YouTuber named Sameer MD. According to reports, he came up with the idea of finding a photo of a girl who “looked Hindu,” had died many years ago, and had no immediate surviving family members who could object. By doing this, the conspirators believed they could pass off the image as that of a fabricated missing girl without being caught.

To cover their tracks, the groups behind the hoax also tried to make sure that the photo would not show up in simple checks. They deliberately altered the image so that it could not be easily detected through Google Lens or other reverse image search tools.

Digging further, Suvarna News traced Sujatha Bhat’s personal life and discovered that she had been in a live-in relationship with a Bengaluru-based man, Ranga Prasad, from Kengeri. The story took a darker turn when it was found that Vasanthi was actually the daughter-in-law of Ranga Prasad.

Vasanthi had been married to a man named Shri Vatsa, but the marriage was troubled, and the couple separated after a few years. Sadly, Vasanthi passed away in 2007, and Shri Vatsa himself died in 2015.

In what investigators now call a calculated act of deceit, Sujatha Bhat stole old college-day photographs of Vasanthi. These photos were allegedly shown at a secret meeting where Sameer MD was also present. The group then circulated the pictures, falsely presenting them as belonging to “Ananya Bhat”, the imaginary missing girl in Dharmasthala.

To further cement the false identity, the conspirators went to the extent of adding a blue mark on Vasanthi’s forehead in the picture, so that she would appear more convincingly Hindu.

This expose by Suvarna News has intensified calls for accountability. Many are now demanding strict action. The growing consensus is clear: “Hopefully at least now the #DharmasthalaSITProbe team arrests the gang of Thimarody Mahesh Shetty, Sameer Md, Sujatha Bhat, Mattannavar and all others involved under criminal conspiracy to defame Dharmasthala Temple.”

The Background of the Dharmasthala Controversy

The case originally began when an unidentified man, claiming to be a former sanitation worker at the Lord Manjunatha shrine in Dharmasthala, accused the temple administration of horrific crimes. He alleged that he was forced to bury the bodies of women and minor girls in the temple town over many years.

On 3rd June, he filed a police complaint, attaching what he described as “evidence.” A week later, he appeared before a court, covering his entire body to conceal his identity. In court, he repeated his accusations and even submitted skeletal remains which he claimed to have dug up himself.

The so-called “masked man” alleged that between 1995 and 2014, he was forced to bury large numbers of women and girls who were killed in Dharmasthala. Following this, another woman came forward, claiming her daughter had gone missing on a pilgrimage to the town, further adding weight to the charges.

Because of the seriousness of these allegations, the Karnataka government set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) on 19th July to conduct a thorough probe. The whistleblower gave the SIT a list of 13 alleged burial sites, prompting immediate excavation.

However, as the SIT began digging, the narrative started to unravel. The skull submitted by the masked man was examined at two hospitals, and both confirmed it was from a male who had died 30 years ago.

The man had further claimed that between 60 and 100 bodies were buried at site number 13 at a depth of 16 feet. To verify this, the SIT used Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), which detected no human remains. Even after excavating the site, nothing was found, proving the claims baseless.