The plot against the paramour

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Vehemence of grief and shock poured in from several quarters following the brutal killing of a middle aged businessman whose body was found in the back seat of his car at Cooray Mawatha at Rajagiriya on the August 29. The grisly murder was the talking point in Welikade and else where following reports splashed in several newspapers.

According to the Police Media Spokesman, Senior Supdt. of Police, Rangith Gunesekera it was around 12.15. p.m. on August 29 when the OIC Welikade Police Station, Chief Inspector Neville de Silva received a telephone call that a person’s body was found inside a car opposite a house at Cooray Mawatha Rajagiriya.

Several thoughts crossed the informants mind when he first noticed the abandoned car. He thought it was a terrorists ploy, that a car laden with explosives to be detonated at some point in Colombo to create mayhem in the city.

But when he got closer and peeped into the car his perception changed completely. What he saw was a body of a man slumped in the back seat, that sent a chill down his spine.

A few minuets after receiving the call the Chief Inspector Neville de Silva along with Police Sergeant 19293 Wijithananda, Police Constable 13696 Saman and Police Constable 12736 Dharmasena rushed to the scene to investigate the incident. When they arrived at the scene they noticed an abandoned car with the number plate bearing No 301-1807.

Later a team of experts from the Police Finger Bureau arrived at the scene and began dusting the vehicle for finger prints. Just then the Colombo Magistrate at Court No 14, at Hulfstdorp, Ajith Anaweratne too arrived to conduct the magisterial inquiry along with the JMO Colombo Dr. D. B. Gunatilleke.

The autopsy examination was later carried at the police morgue, Borella on August 30. The examination revealed that the victim was stabbed several times in the body and was strangled with a piece of string tied around his neck.

The Welikade police however were successful in tracing the registered owner of the vehicle, after scanning the records at the Motor Commissioner’s Department. The deceased was identified as Palitha Cristy Jayatunga, a prosperous businessman who resided at No. 28/1, Sri Dharmarama road, Ratmalana.

Investigations revealed that he was murdered elsewhere and his body was brought to Cooray Mawatha Rajagiriya by the assailants in his car. Following the JMO’s report the investigation came under a microscope. Several police teams fanned across the country in search of several persons whom they believed were linked to the murder.

Meanwhile it came to light that Jayatunga, the wealthy businessman has had a sexual union with a married woman residing at Dolanlandawatte at Kalalgoda, Pannipitiya. The affair had lasted for more than 25 years, police said. The woman had two children and her husband was employed in a foreign country. One child stayed behind with her while the other was abroad.

It also became apparent to police that Jayatunga had visited the woman’s house on the August 29 and had spent the day with her. Before leaving the mistresses residence, he had telephoned someone at his residence at Ratmalana and told that he was on his way home.

It was further revealed that Jayatunga was a wealthy businessman who owned estates in and around Colombo. His core business was exporting vegetables and fruits to markets in the Middle East and Europe.

He amassed a fortune by doing this. When his mistress came to know about her paramours disappearance on August 29, she lodged a complaint at the Talangama police station for the police to look for him.

Two weeks later the OIC, of the Kottawa Police Post received a valuable tip off that two soldiers who had deserted the army was linked to the killing of Jayatunga.

The army deserters in their early twenties were from Madawela Udakinda in the Welimade area. Both of them had deserted the army a year ago and was employed in Colombo and in Pannipitiya doing odd jobs. Police arrested the two suspects along with Jayatunga’s mistress and questioned them at length.

Pieces of the puzzle gradually fell into its place. The Police were able to unravel the mystery behind Jayatunga’s murder. An army deserter told police that he had an affair with a woman domestic aid employed at the mistress home. While attending to some repairs at the mistresses home, he had begun an affair with the domestic aid, he said.

He also told police that the mistress one day assigned him with a contract to assassinate Jayatunga, her paramour. The ex-soldier the had discussed the matter with his other colleague, the army deserter who was employed in a company in Colombo.

Thereafter they conspired to kill him. But they had a drawback. None of the men could drive cars. So they employed a person known to them from Piliyandala area for the job. The three met at a restaurant at Piliyandala whether they hatched the murder plot.

On the day of the incident the three men received a telephone call from the mistress to hide behind the wall of her home. The time around 9.10. pm. The three men after consuming liquor were awaiting for Jayatunga to emerge from her home.

The mistress had supplied them with a knife to kill him. When Jayatunga finally emerged from the home, one man came from behind and tied a string around Jayatunga neck while the other stabbed him in his stomach. When Jayatunga fell unconscious they picked up the body and placed it in the back seat of his car and drove off to Cooray Mawatha at Rajagiriya.

The knife was thrown to a shrub near the Pannipitiya home. The mistress had witnessed the killing from near her gate, they told police. Police learnt that Jayatunga had built a three storied home for her mistress and had transferred the deeds of his estates to her.

Since lately however he had fallen foul with his mistress as he wanted to dispose some of those properties. The motive for Jayatunga’s murder was that the mistress was unwilling to part with her property that Jayatunga had given her,” Police said.