Police arrests suspect who murdered his aunt and stole jewellery in Matara

Police said that his companion who came to commit this crime was his mistress who had been identified as a resident of Weerawila. She is absconding

The police arrested a person yesterday for allegedly killing of a mother of eight children by injecting poisonous substance and causing injuries to another woman by forcing a bottle containing poisonous substance into her mouth, the Police said. The suspect is a nephew of the victim, had fled after plundering gold chains valued Rs. 400,000. The suspect had allegedly entered a house in Wewaihalagoda area in Thalpawila in Matara to commit the crime.

This incident had taken place on Friday. The police was able to arrest the suspect who was a goldsmith within 48 hours after this crime. At the police investigations, it has been revealed that it was his step mother who had been killed by him using a toxic chemical that was used to make gold jewellery.

Police said that his companion who came to commit this crime was his mistress who had been identified as a resident of Weerawila. She is absconding.

Police had found one of the necklaces that had been sold at Rs. 64,000 at a pawning centre in Galle after altering the original design. 50% of the money obtained by selling it had been given to his mistress. Although he had told his mistress that two necklaces had been melted and sold, the police was able to find the other necklace that was hidden in his house.

A top police officer said that the main suspect who came from his house in Denipitiya to Matara and met his mistress at Matara main bus stand and reached the place of incident by a bus up to Thalpawila junction. The suspects had been identified using the CCTV camera footage found in the vicinity of the house.

The victim was H. B.karunawathi (73), a mother of eight children killed when she was in her younger son’s house. The mother of her daughter- inlaw (60) had been injured and rushed to Matara General Hospital for medical treatment. Police said that the deceased knew the suspect/nephew well and the injured woman did not know him.

The suspect (58), being a resident of Udukawa in Dehipitiya is scheduled to be produced before Magistrates Court in Matara today.

A team of Police officers have been carrying out investigations into this incident with the direction of Southern Province OIC Senior DIG Roshan Fernando and with the supervision of Matara Police Division OIC SP Gayanga Hasantha Marapana.