Land dispute ends in tragedy
 It looked as if Eppawela, a village in the Anuradapura district was
the killing fields with several murders and suicides taking place during
the past ten days. Two weeks ago two young girls and their lover, an
ex-army soldier committed suicide by hanging from a branch of a Margosa
tree. Last week three women and a man were butchered to death by their
younger brother owing to a land dispute. The dispute revolved around a
paddy field owned by a family at Eppawela.
The paddy field became the cornerstone of a bitter quarrel between
sisters and the younger brother, who insisted that he had a share of the
paddy field. The quarrel led to the massacre of two sisters, a pregnant
niece and her husband who were hacked to death with an axe by their
younger brother.
 The two sisters, their pregnant daughter and her husband lived at
their ancestral home Kati Yaya at Eppawela. There were eight other
members of the family including brothers and sisters. They lived
elsewhere in the Anuradapura district.
Police said the quadruple murder took place on the December 17 -
around 10-11 p.m. The two sisters Seetha Somalatha (55) and her younger
sister Malani Swarnalatha (50) and her daughter Niluka Chandani
Pathirana (22), a pregnant woman of five months and her husband
Madusanka Perera (23) a soldier attached to an army regiment in Colombo
were at their home on that fatal night. Soldier Madusanka Perera had
come home on leave to be with his family during the week end. He was to
celebrate his birthday on December 18.
It rained heavily on the night of December 17 and most villagers were
indoors due to the inclement weather.
Seetha Somalatha, the eldest sister suffered from Epilepsy fits from
her childhood and she was a spinster. Her father was sympathetic towards
her because of her illness and because she was a spinster. He bequeathed
all his property in her name before he died. However, this move angered
the rest of the brothers.
Ancestral
Following the father’s death Seetha Somalatha and sister Malani
Swarnalatha with her daughter and her husband came to live at the
ancestral home while other members of the family lived elsewhere. The
younger brother following his discharge from the Navy also returned to
his native village. He was extremely jealous that his elder sister owned
the family paddy fields as well. He insisted that he be given a portion
of it to cultivate. But the younger sister along with her daughter and
the son-in-law, strongly objected to the proposal. This led to frequent
arguments between the elder sister and the younger brother.
Meanwhile the elder brother laid a foundation in the compound of his
sister Seetha Somalatha’s home claiming that he too had a share in it.
Somewhere in May this year the younger brother stormed the house with an
axe brandishing in his hand and threatened to kill both his sisters.
The sisters lodged a complaint at the Eppawala police station and the
suspect brother was arrested by the police. He was in remand for more
than two weeks before he was released. His elder brother too served in
the Army and returned to his native village upon his discharge. The
youngest brother perpetually harboured a grudge against his two sisters
after his release from the remand prison.
Inherit
According to Police sources he conspired to kill both his sisters,
his pregnant niece and his brother in law so that he could inherit the
family property some day.
It was on the night of December 17 he decided to wipe out the entire
family. He meticulously planned his strategy in advance to execute the
entire family. He cut a pair of gunny bags and made a pair of stockings
which he wore inside the home to prevent leaving any footprints inside
the house. He also wore a pair of gloves that he used to pluck
ladyfingers in the garden to prevent finger prints inside the home.
On December 17 under the cover of darkness he stealthily crept in to
his sister’s home between 10-11 p.m., carrying with him an axe, while
both his sisters and the brother-in-law were watching a television
program. His pregnant niece was working on the computer attending to
some work. He lunged forward into the room wielding the axe and started
chopping one by one, his brother-in-law, his younger sister and his
niece with all his might.
While groaning and screaming in pain they slumped to the floor
bleeding profusely while Seetha Somalatha escaped the onslaught and ran
out of her home for safety.
She ran 200 metres in the direction of her neighbours home followed
by the assassin, but she wasn’t that fortunate to escape death. The
assassin caught up with her and dealt a heavy blow on her head and her
neck with the axe. She slumped to the ground and lay in a pool of blood
that night.
Her body was discovered on the following morning by a neighbour when
he stepped outside his home to pluck some betel leaves. He was simply
shocked to see his neighbour’s body lying on the ground with severe cut
injuries.
OIC Eppawala police station, Inspector Wijaya Kumarasinghe and OIC
Crimes Inspector E.M. Edirisinghe and several other policemen visited
the scene of the crime on the following day and questioned several
neighbours regarding the massacre. But they had no clue whatsoever. The
OIC detailed two search parties to apprehend the suspects.
Meanwhile, the suspect, the younger brother of the deceased
surrendered to the Thambuttegama police station through a lawyer.
Clothing
It was further revealed that the suspect after committing the heinous
crime visited Sunil’s home with the axe that night. He then requested
for some clothing but did not disclose anything about the murder. After
taking a dip in a stream close by he had worn the new clothes.
He then wrapped up the discarded clothes with blood stains and hid
them near the stream. The suspect then went to Dassanayake’s house close
by and requested that he be taken to his elder brother’s home at
Thambuttegama.
Around 4 a.m. Dassanayake took him on his brother in law’s motor
cycle to Thambuttegama. While on the way he narrated the gruesome
killing of his sisters to Dassanayake.
The suspect was later dropped at his elder brother’s home at
Thambuttegama. After relating the story to his elder brother,
arrangements were made to surrender him to the Thambuttegama police
station through a lawyer. |
