Mangaluru: Advocate Manjunath N, legal counsel for Sujatha Bhat, mother of missing medical student Ananya Bhat, has raised serious concerns regarding an alleged artificial shortage of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) equipment crucial to the ongoing Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the mass burials case in Dharmasthala.

In a press statement issued on Tuesday, Advocate Manjunath highlighted that there has been a deliberate blocking of access to GPR technology, which is essential for locating potential human remains at identified sites in Dharmasthala. Sujatha Bhat, whose daughter went missing in 2003, has been actively urging the SIT to deploy advanced GPR methods in the investigation.

“There are very few private sector suppliers of GPR in India, and we have received information that existing equipment has been pre-booked by unknown vested interests,” the statement read. It further alleged that certain private firms were being discouraged, or even threatened, against cooperating with the SIT by providing the necessary equipment.

The advocate urged members of the media and investigative journalists to probe this suspicious trend, including whether there has been a surge in equipment bookings coinciding with the timeline of the Dharmasthala probe, and whether any pressure or inducements have been placed on GPR suppliers.

Furthermore, the advocate expressed strong appreciation for the SIT’s efforts under the leadership of DGP Pranab Mohanty, praising the team’s professionalism and resolve in pursuing the sensitive case.

Any attempt to block the availability of essential technology would be a grave injustice to the families of missing persons, he added.

“They deserve nothing less than a thorough, scientific investigation. The people of Karnataka and India have the right to know the truth,” the advocate said.

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Thane (PTI): A man and his wife were arrested on Thursday in Mumbra in Thane district for allegedly murdering her lover, a police official said.

The probe into the case began after Raju Yadav, a resident of the Khardi Road area, was found dead with his throat slit on February 17, the Mumbra police station official said.

"Yadav, who was himself married, had been in a relationship with Farheen Mohammad Abid Malik (27) for the past eight months. Farheen's husband Mohammad Abid Abdul Wajid Malik (29) confronted her, after which the duo decided to kill Yadav," he said.

"On the midnight of February 17, Farheen called Yadav to an under-construction flat in the building, where she gave him a cold drink mixed with a chemical. After Raju became unconscious, Mohammad Malik came there and slit his throat. The couple has been remanded in police custody," the official said.

Further probe into the case, including where the chemical was procured, is underway, he said.