Buddhist priest murdered in Kimbissa

By Jayampathy Jayasinghe

The blood splattered body of the Dhammadassa thero (37) of Mahindaryamaya, Kimbissa, in the Sigiriya police area was found lying inside a room of the temple by a man who had taken alms to the priest last Thursday, police said.

According to police the thero was allegedly beaten up with a wooden pole by a man named Sunil (47) after quarrelling with the priest. The thero had been living alone at Mahindaramaya. The suspect, an unemployed man, had taken refuge for sometime at the temple after befriending the priest. When the villagers came to know about the killing they stormed into the temple and tied the suspect and later informed the Sigiriya police.

The blood stained wooden pole used in the killing was found lying in a corner of the room. According to Sigiriya police the suspect believed to be a mentally deranged person will be produced before court.

DIG Central Police Kinsley Ekanayake had ordered further investigations into the murder.