Dharmasthala Case Grows More Complex Amid Conflicting Claims

Dharmasthala, Karnataka: The mysterious case surrounding a series of alleged deaths and disappearances linked to Dharmasthala continues to deepen, with new revelations casting doubt on long-standing claims. Despite spending more than half a crore of rupees on excavation efforts along the banks of the Nethravathi River, no evidence has been uncovered, prompting calls for the arrest of the sanitation worker who first made the disclosures.

A dramatic turn came when Sujatha Bhatt, who had previously claimed to be the mother of the allegedly missing Ananya Bhatt, publicly retracted her statement. In an interview with Insight Rush channel, Sujatha confessed that she had been coerced into fabricating the story. “Girish Mattannavaru and T. Jayanth told me to say this. Please forgive me—I made a mistake. I apologise to Dharmasthala, to the people of Karnataka, and to the people of this country. I lied, and I want this controversy to end so I can live in peace,” she said tearfully.

Her brother, however, strongly contradicted her earlier claims, affirming that Sujatha never had a daughter. “She left home when she was in the ninth grade and rarely contacted us over the last four decades. A year ago, she visited, saying she lived in Bengaluru and was now wealthy. Even then, she never mentioned having a daughter,” he stated.

Amid this confusion, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case issued Sujatha a notice, directing her to appear before their office in Belthangady and submit supporting documents about her alleged daughter. Earlier, Sujatha had claimed that Ananya Bhatt was a medical student in Mangaluru and Manipal. However, SIT investigators found no admission records under that name in either institution. Aside from a single passport-sized photograph, no credible evidence has surfaced to prove Ananya’s existence.

SIT’s findings further revealed that the woman in the photograph Sujatha identified as her daughter was, in fact, Vasanthi—the daughter-in-law of Ranga Prasad, a man with whom Sujatha was reportedly in a long-term relationship. Records show that Sujatha lived in Ripponpet, Shivamogga, with Prabhakar Baliga until 2005, before moving to Bengaluru, where she began a relationship with Ranga Prasad, an employee of BEL. Following his wife’s death, Prasad lived alone with his son, Srivatsa, and daughter. Sujatha eventually moved into his household, but tensions reportedly arose as she spoke disparagingly of his children.

Tragedy followed: Vasanthi, who had separated from her husband Srivatsa and returned to her parents’ home in Kodagu, died under suspicious circumstances in 2007. Srivatsa’s health deteriorated due to alcoholism, weakening his control over family property. According to reports, Sujatha exploited the situation, eventually selling Prasad’s house through a real estate broker. Srivatsa, left destitute, moved into a rented house and later died in 2015. Isolated from his family, Ranga Prasad himself died on January 12 this year. Investigators now allege that Sujatha left with ₹20 lakh from the property deal before moving to another residence.

The unfolding revelations have raised serious questions about the veracity of Sujatha’s earlier claims and the true nature of the Dharmasthala case, which continues to grip Karnataka with speculation and intrigue.