Bengaluru, Aug. 24 -- The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing allegations of multiple murders and mass burials in Dharmasthala town of Karnataka on Saturday arrested the main complainant for allegedly providing false information, officials familiar with the matter said. The 48-year-old former sanitation worker, identified as CN Chinnaiah, was arrested on charges of perjury, a day after his protection under the Witness Protection Scheme was withdrawn. He was questioned late into Friday night, during which investigators found inconsistencies in his statements and supporting materials, officials said. On July 11, Chinnaiah appeared before a magistrate and gave a sworn statement reiterating his claims. He also handed over human remains, which he claimed belonged to a woman who was sexually assaulted, murdered, and buried in Dharmasthala. However, forensic tests later confirmed the bones were those of a man. "The analysis later confirmed the remains were of a man. The material he produced did not match his statement," an officer involved in the inquiry said on condition of anonymity. State home minister G Parameshwara confirmed the arrest but said the investigation was still ongoing. "It is true that he [Chinnaiah] has been arrested and is in police custody. As the investigation is on, no information can be shared," he said. The complainant was produced before a local court, which sent him to 10-day SIT custody. The arrest marks a dramatic twist in a case that began with grim claims-Chinnaiah said that over several years, he was forced to bury the bodies of women and girls , some of whom bore signs of sexual assault, at secret graves in the town known for its temples. The allegation triggered a political tussle between the state's ruling Congress and the Opposition BJP. He filed a complaint on July 2, saying hundreds of bodies were buried in Dharmasthala under pressure from "influential people". The Karnataka government set up an SIT on July 19 to probe the charges. As part of the investigation, the SIT conducted excavations at multiple locations identified by the complainant in the forested areas along the banks of the Netravathi River. Partial skeletal remains of a couple of men were found at two sites, with police saying that one of them probably died by suicide. Located in the state's Dakshina Kannada district, Dharmasthala is known for the Sri Manjunatha Temple, which is a prominent Hindu pilgrimage site. The BJP and right-wing outfits have said the allegations were a part of a ploy to defame Hindu culture and demanded that the investigation should be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). "We had said that a conspiracy is being hatched against Dharmasthala, it has come true now. The arrest of the complainant has shed light on the truth. Who are the forces behind this person? Who are the people who hatched the conspiracy? All of them need to be unmasked," state BJP president BY Vijayendra said in a post. Deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar said police were carrying out an investigation and assured justice. "We should not do politics in matters of religion. The investigation is ongoing. The CM and the Home Minister have clarified in the legislative assembly that the government would take action against the culprits irrespective of their position," he said. Separately, a woman whose earlier claim about a missing daughter had helped fuel the Dharmasthala controversy - and who on Friday said her story was fabricated - retracted her statement once again on Saturday. Sujatha Bhat told local media that her denial, made to a YouTube channel, was given under pressure and that her daughter has, in fact, been missing since 2023....