Sowjanya Murder Probe Reopened as SIT Revisits Dharmasthala Site

Mangaluru, October 31: The Special Investigation Team probing the Sowjanya rape and murder case has revisited the Dharmasthala crime scene, re-enacting events from 14 years ago as part of a fresh inquiry directed by the Supreme Court. Investigators also took soil samples from the location.

A group of senior officers examined the site and recreated the sequence of incidents linked to the crime. The aim, officials said, was to collect new evidence and look more closely at the conditions in which the offence occurred.

The investigation is being headed by SIT SP Lokesh B. Jagalasar and ACP Manoj Kumar Naik. Relatives Purandara Gowda and Tukaram Gowda were present during the inspection. Purandara Gowda is the complainant in the case and was the first person to see Sowjanya's body after the crime.

Barricades and security tape were put up around the entire area, and general public access was restricted. The SIT gathered evidence and other materials during the process. Police also blocked the road running beside the forest tract from where Sowjanya was allegedly abducted after she got off a bus while heading home. Her body was later found in a forest area close by.

Officials have preserved the soil from the place where the body was recovered. Teams from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and the Crime Scene Officers (SOCO) worked with engineers from the Public Works Department (PWD). Experts had travelled from Bengaluru to help the SIT with the probe.

Police personnel from the Dharmasthala police station have been deployed at the scene for security.

The Supreme Court has ordered a re-examination of the case, which dates back to October 2012, when the 17-year-old pre-university student went missing from Ujire near Dharmasthala. Her body was later discovered near the Netravati river, showing serious signs of sexual assault and violence.