Alarm over surge in homicides; experts call for crime-control measures
Ayoung hotelier was outside his establishment at Midigama in Ahangama on Wednesday night. A group arrived in a mini-van and one of them opened fire.
Hotel owner Pasindu Sandaruwan, 32, was seriously injured and rushed to Matara Hospital. He succumbed to his injuries shortly thereafter.
The Special Task Force (STF) team backed by the Ahangama Police has launched a hunt for the killer. The van used in the crime was found abandoned in Ahangama, but investigators found that it had been obtained from a rent-a-car service two weeks ago.
Initial investigations revealed that a T-56 weapon had been used for the shooting.
The case was one among some 17 killings reported in different parts of the country this week.
A majority of the killings were reported from the Southern, Sabaragamuwa and Uva provinces,
In another gruesome killing, a 28-year-old female agriculture officer was stabbed to death by a man who had been demanding a permit to obtain free fertiliser on behalf of a friend. A day before the incident, the man had visited the officer’s residence at Netolpitiya in Tangalle and demanded that he be given the permit, but the officer refused to oblige.
The following day, armed with a knife, he waited for her. As she, together with her mother-in-law, was making her way to the bus stand, the man pounced on her and stabbed her. He also prevented nearby residents from taking her to the hospital, according to police.
The victim was identified as Deepashika Lakruwani Wijedasa.
The suspect was taken into custody.
On Wednesday night, two persons were hacked to death following a land dispute at Badalkumbura in Monaragala. The suspect is evading arrest.
In several of the killings, women were the target. Among them was the killing of an elderly woman. Her sister who was also attacked is in hospital and her condition is said to be critical.
In yet another gruesome crime, the CCTV footage of which went viral, a man chopped off the hands of a small-time electrician with a sword and carried the severed hands to be thrown into the sea. The man was arrested and the sword used for the crime was detected later.
Police said the suspect confessed that he cut off the electrician’s hands from the wrist so that he would not be able to continue his profession.
In most cases, firearms or sharp weapons such as swords or knives have been used in the killings, police said, adding that they had arrested several suspects, but some were still at large.
The rising crime has been partly blamed on the Police.
Former Deputy Inspector General Prashantha Jayakody told
the Sunday Times economic reasons such as unemployment and a decline in social ethos were among the main reasons for the rise in crime. He said the Police, the judicial system and other agencies should act promptly to arrest the situation and minimise the crime rate.
The former DIG said most criminals believed that they could commit any crime and get away and therefore they did not hesitate to commit crimes.
He said the high prevalence of narcotics in society was also a reason. Addicts were prompted to find money through illegal means to buy drugs.
Sociologist Siri Hettige said that economic and social issues were the main reasons for the hike in the crime rate. He said that the partiality of law enforcement agencies was also a reason for rising crime. “In certain instances, the innocent party, too, is victimised,” he added.
Prof Hettige said the economic crisis had severely affected agriculture, fisheries, education, health, and transport sectors, among others, with only about 20 percent of the population entitled to social security cover. “This has created a disparity and it should be reduced.”
A senior Police officer said that the availability of firearms, including automatic weapons and locally produced guns, was a main concern in containing the crime situation. He said there were underworld gangs that hired out weapons.
The officer said that some of the criminal activities were directed by criminals who were either in prisons or overseas, making it difficult for Police to crack down on those involved in crime.