Wealthy widow killed at Laxawatta

A wealthy widow living at Laxawatta in Matara has been killed and her residence ransacked by a yet unidentified gang on Thursday night, police said.

They said the body of 72-year-old Ediriweera Jayasuriya Wimalawathi with the hands and legs trussed up was found on the upper floor of the house.

She had been living alone in the house since her husband’s death.

Inquiries revealed that the woman was occupying one of the rooms while having rented out the other rooms to some female students of the Ruhuna University.

An exorcist who visited the house recently had told the students that the house was haunted and this had frightened the girls to the extent of vacating the premises.

Police said they were informed of the woman’s killing by a relative who

A wealthy widow living at Laxawatta in Matara has been killed and her residence ransacked by a yet unidentified gang. the body of woman was found on the upper floor of the house

brought her the meals.

Matara Additional Magistrate Dulani Amarasinghe held the preliminary magisterial inquiry at the scene of the crime. Crime Investigations Branch OIC H.K. Kamal, SI J.K. Palihawadana, SI Laxman Mallikarachchi and Sergeants 56229 Ihalagama and 18747 Vajira Kuruppu are carrying out the investigations under the instructions of Matara Police HQI Hemal Prashantha and SP Damayantha Wijeya Sri.