Bengaluru, July 25 -- In the shadows of Dharmasthala's shrines, where pilgrims come to seek peace, police are now searching for buried secrets far more disturbing than anyone could have imagined. What began as an unsettling confession by a former sanitation worker has now triggered one of the most ambitious forensic investigations in Karnataka's policing history.

The site in question, covered in dense vegetation and long believed to be the final resting place for unclaimed corpses, now holds the potential to become a forensic minefield according to officials. Over a hundred bodies could be buried at the site as per the claims, though the final count -- higher or none at all -- will depend on what is uncovered during excavation.

A senior...