India, July 29 -- The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing allegations of mass murders in Karnataka's Dharmasthala ended the first day of exhumation operations on Tuesday without any recoveries. The team, guided by a 48-year-old sanitation worker who had earlier claimed to have buried multiple bodies over a decade ago, began digging at one of the 13 locations he had identified.

A senior SIT officer confirmed that the first site was excavated "using manual labour and later earth movers to the satisfaction of the informant and officials present." However, by 6 pm, operations were halted after no human remains were found. "We have followed the standard procedure and ensured the digging was thorough. No recoveries were made at this spot ...