In a major twist in the Dharmasthala “mass burial” case, police have arrested the complainant who had alleged mass rapes and murders in a Karnataka village.

To hide his identity from the public, the complainant wore a mask. He has now been named as CN Chinnayya alias Chenna, who had claimed to be a whistleblower in a case involving mass murders and burials and even sought legal protection. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) questioned him for several hours, officials said. After his claims were found to be false and fabricated, the SIT took him into custody.

A woman who had earlier alleged that her daughter, an MBBS student, had gone missing in Dharmasthala has now retracted her claim.

Chenna was taken for a medical check-up before being produced in court.