A mother's agony over son's disappearance

By Jayampathy JAYASINGHE

The two photographs posted on the website depict the smiling picture of the five-year-old child who had gone missing along with his father two years ago from their home at Kandana. With tears welling in her eyes, the child's mother Rajeeva Vasudevi Mallawarachchi, a 39-year-old teacher from Yakkakla walked into the Sunday Observer office to narrate her tale of woe. Anyone will understand the anguish, trauma and the pain of mind she suffers. It has probably left scars in her mind.

Gayindu on his fifth birthday with the mother

At a school concert

Meanwhile, a web message posted on the internet reads Gayindu Kithmuka Madurapperuma is missing. Please help find him, an impassioned plea by the desperate mother. "My child vanished all of a sudden two years ago and there is no trace of him upto now. I still do not know as to what happened to him," says the weeping mother.

The message on the website said that on May 6, 2008 her estranged husband had abducted her son. It was a violation of a court order issued regarding the custody of the child. It states that her husband had left for Chennai with the child on forged passports and they have not been traced by the police so far.

In fact Rajeeva had first met her husband nine years ago, when a proposal was made by her husband's elder sister somewhere in August 2001. Rajeeva is still baffled as to how they came across a copy of her horoscope. She also suspects that her husbands horoscope was a fake made to match hers.

Her parents agreed to the marriage proposal because their horoscopes matched each other, and were compatible for a harmonious marriage. However when the girl's parents checked the suitor's background from the people in the locality they did not have much to say about him. All what they said was, he was a seaman - a globetrotter!

The neighbours were tightlipped. They did not know much about his family as they lived a quiet life. The family did not have any social contacts with their neighbours. As a result Rajeeva's parents could not find sufficient information regarding the suitor's character. "Although he was 10 years senior to me the age gap did not matter to me after all. It was because my parents too had married despite a 10-year age gap. But their marriage was successful ," says Rajeeva.

She said that both parties agreed to the proposal but the suitor Ajith Nisantha Madurapperuma 'disappeared' all of a sudden from the scene. He could not be contacted thereafter. But he telephoned my parents almost one year later and re-established contacts with my parents. He thereafter visited our home accompanied by his mother and sister. Rajeeva consented to the marriage because the horoscopes were very compatible. In 2001, Rajeeva married Ajith Nisantha Madurapperuma.

Following her marriage she gave birth to a male boy in Octorber 2002. The parents named him, Gayindu Kithmuka Madduraperuma. However their marriage was not a success even after their son's birth. "He compelled me to resign from my job. I am a graduate teacher in a government school. But I didn't accede to his request. I do not know the reason behind this move. Probably he wanted me to be dependant on him," Rajeewa said.

Picture taken before Ajith left the country

Below: What Ajith would look now

He never gave me money for household expenses. I had to meet the expenses on my own. Whenever I asked him money he told me to ask his elder sister. His position was that I should quit my job for him to provide me with money. He was a weird character. He called me whenever he was abroad but never told me his whereabouts. After our marriage we moved into a dilapidated rented house at Kandana but subsequently I discovered that it belonged to my sister-in-law's deceased husband.

Rajeeva recounted her sordid experience while living at this house with a domestic woman aide, who was a stubborn character. Her sister-in-law planted the domestic at their home, as if to exercise authority over her, she says. "I was even warned by my sister-in-law and others not to have any dealings with people in the neighbourhood. After some time I realised that my husband and his family were a bunch of weird people. They were secretive in their dealings. Although he never hurt me physically he was in the habit of dashing things on the ground when he lost his cool.

"When I was in my advanced stage of pregnancy I was escorted to my parental home at Gampaha by my sister-in-law. She even took me to the Colombo Castle hospital clinic. Before I gave birth to my child my husband left me saying that he was going abroad. I didn't know whether he went abroad or elsewhere. "I was clueless about where he went because he never told where he was going."

Meanwhile, I gave birth to my son at the Castle hospital, Colombo. Thereafter, I went back to my parents with the baby. A few days later he telephoned that he had returned to the country. He told me to get ready with the baby to move into our house at Kandana. My husband arrived with his sister in his car. His sister drove the car while he was slumped in the front seat to show that he was ill. We then moved to the Kandana house. Four months later he told us that he was going abroad again. I accompanied him to the airport with my baby and his sister. She took photographs of my baby along with us. But when I requested for the photographs she told me they were spoilt. I had a sense of premonition that there was a subtle move to separate my child from me. Following this incident I went back to my parents and told them of the fear I had regarding my child. A few months later when my husband returned to the country, my parents and my uncle visited our Kandana home. While they were trying to advise him on domestic issues he lost his cool and abused them. He even dashed furniture on the ground.

Thereafter we went to the Kandana police station, and lodged a complaint regarding his behaviour and I returned to my parents' home with the baby. Though a few months lapsed I hadn't the foggiest idea where he was. But when I learnt he was a divorcee, I filed a divorce case in courts. We subsequently came to know that he had been married several times. Following the filing of the divorce case we met several times in courts over the next few months but he never wanted to see the child. This gave me an indication that he was not fond of the child.

Following an amicable settlement in court we patched up and moved into a house at Kiribathgoda in 2007. We lived together for about a year. My son, who was five years by then attended a private school at Wattala. He travellled by van to school. When I returned home after school on May 6 2008 I learnt that my son had not returned from school. My husband too was not at home.

I immediately telephoned my husband's cellular phone but he had switched it off. When I made inquiries from another school boy who travels in the same van with my son I was made to understand that he had not returned home that day. Unable to comprehend what had happened I telephoned the police hot line 119 and informed them of the plight of my missing son.

Following their advice I lodged a complaint at the Kiribathgoda police station and later at the Peliyagoda police station. As the child and my husband could not be traced I published a notice in the newspapers on the missing persons. I also lodged a complaint at the National Child Protection Authority and at the Police headquarters.

As the police could not trace them I pasted a poster on billboards around the country. There was a TV footage on the missing persons but they had not been found as yet. Later when I inquired from the Department of Immigration and Emigration Iefound the false passport copies of my son and husband. My son's name had been altered as Sri Sudha Sinharatne Bandarage Don and the his fathers Puspa Kumara Jayawardena'. The address given in the passports was 750, Palawatta South, Talangama, Battaramulla'. According to the Department of Immigration and Immigration both had taken a flight to Chennai on May 5, 2008.

Meanwhile, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has launched an investigation on the missing persons. Interpol too had issued a warrant for the arrest of my husband Ajith NIshantha Madurapperuma.