India, Aug. 7 -- The coastal temple town that was once revered for its spiritual hospitality, is struggling with an unsettling transformation. The murmurs of devotion that once filled its narrow lanes have now been replaced by silence and suspicion. Lodges once bustling with pilgrims are now half-empty. Conversations at tea stalls spiral quickly into silence when the word "bodies" is mentioned.

"Visitors used to ask us about darshan timings or whether rooms had hot water," said a manager at a small lodge near the temple. "Now all they want to know is if we have seen anything suspicious or heard anything about bodies being found."

At the centre of this shift is an investigation by a special investigation team (SIT) formed by the state go...