Dead man’s body claimed by two women

Another woman telephoned me recently and said she was married to him and she had two children by him. Recently he returned home and stayed for about four days and left for Colombo. Meanwhile, I received a call from that woman that he died in an accident. I called over at the hospital and identified the body.”

Hospital authorities were in a dilemma when two women rushed to the Nagoda Hospital and claimed the body of a man who died in an accident. Both of them produced marriage certificates and claimed the body of the husband.

The deceased Muttu Shantha Kumar (35) was a resident of Ihala Welgama in Mahagama. One of the women Devadas Mary Magaret (32) of Rakwana testifying before the Inquirer Into Sudden Deaths, W. Roy A. de Silva said the deceased was her legitimate husband. She was married to him on May 25, 2001 and she had two children by him.

“He was employed at Colombo and he returned home once a month and gave money to maintain the family. Another woman telephoned me recently and said she was married to him and she had two children by him. Recently he returned home and stayed for about four days and left for Colombo. Meanwhile, I received a call from that woman that he died in an accident. I called over at the hospital and identified the body.”

Sellaperumal Sujani (24) of Ihala Welgama said she had been married to him since 2012 and that their marriage was registered at the Bulathsinghala Divisional Secretariat.

The Inquirer Into Sudden Deaths postponed his decision on the disputed claim for the body.