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, though the final count -- higher or none at all -- will depend on what is uncovered during excavation. A senior officer, associated with the special investigation team (SIT) constituted by the Karnataka government to investigate the claims of the worker, said the team is preparing for a meticulous operation. "We are not merely dealing with a criminal case. If the claims are accurate, we are looking at multiple cold cases buried, literally, in layers of soil," the officer said, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the investigation. According to a senior officer, one of the first steps would be the creation of a database of potential victims and eventually a DNA database. But, the process is expected to be tough. The SIT iscoordinating with local law enforcement to retrieve police records, including FIRs and missing persons reports from the period in question. The fact that Dharmasthala didn't have a police station until 2016, complicates this process. Investigators say this effort will involve combing through two decades of documents, some of which may be incomplete or missing altogether. "But, before we get to that, it all depends on whether he (the worker) can point out the locations as he claims. Only then will a database be meaningful. We've been told this area was also used to bury unclaimed bodies, so verification is going to be difficult. We're hoping that details from old missing persons cases and information shared with police helplines, especially in instances where FIRs were not registered, will help us build that database," the officer added. According to investigators, while extracting DNA from remains is possible, finding the match would be tough. But the biggest challenge will be establishing rape and murder (as claimed by the worker) since only skeletal remains will be available. Given the time elapsed -- over a decade in most instances -- investigators believe conventional forensic techniques will be insufficient. The SIT is, therefore, exploring the possibility of setting up a specialised forensic lab, staffed with experts in molecular biology and DNA analysis at Dharamsthala. Coordination with national-level laboratories is also being considered, officials said. Currently, the SIT has 24 members, including four senior officers. However, the scale of the potential investigation may demand a much larger team. "If there are as many bodies as is claimed, each will be assigned a case. Like every murder case or even if it is a case of natural death, a whole team is needed for processing the case. The required man power could run into hundreds," an officer said. The key word in that sentence is "if"....