Killers let the husband alone

It was one of those mysterious murders that baffled the detectives for a few days. An elderly lady was gagged to death in her kitchen while preparing the morning tea for her husband. Stuck with the grip of sporadic violent crimes committed by individuals, IGP, Mahinda Balasuriya instructed DIG Crimes, Western Range, Anura Senanayake for the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) headed by Director, SP Ranaweera to take over the investigations into the murder of a housewife at Borella last week.

A team of detectives from the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) was assigned to investigate the murder and arrest the suspects involved in it forthwith. The detectives had no clue whatsoever to begin with and had to start from zero after visiting the residence at Sumangala Mawatha Borella where the murder took place. The husband complained to police that his beloved wife was gagged to death in her kitchen that morning. When detectives visited the home they found the lady’s body lying on the kitchen floor. Her hands were tied with a string and a piece of cloth thrust into her mouth with a plaster covering her mouth to prevent her from screaming. Both her legs were also tied with a piece of cloth so as to prevent her from walking.

Intruders

“She probably would have seen the intruders in her kitchen before she was being gagged to death,” police said, Incidently the lady was preparing tea for the husband on that fatal morning. The killing had taken place on the wee hours of the morning.

The killers in fact had gained entrance to the upstairs home by shifting the concrete pillars by using an iron bar. Despite the roof being solidly reinforced with concrete pillars, the killers however managed to enter the home. After tying the housewife the killers walked into a room and saw her husband attending to some work.

Their motive was to rob valuables in the household as they were desperate for cash. The two men were about to gag the husband as well but providence saved him that morning. The husband, a Chartered Accountant by profession was so engrossed with his work that morning he was unaware that killers were roaming inside the house.

The killers panicked when they heard the door bell being rung by someone. They were not aware that a newspaper man had pressed the bell. Thinking that a visitor had called over, the killers made a quick exit from the home before anyone identified them.

They also removed a valuable gold chain worn by the lady. Unaware of what was happening in the home, the husband went into the kitchen to fetch his cup of morning tea. It was a routine for his wife to bring the cup of tea to his room where he was working. But on that day the cup of tea did not arrive as usual.

He then went into the kitchen to see what was happening. He was speechless and was shocked beyond words when he saw his beloved wife fallen on the ground with her feet being tied and her mouth gagged. Soon afterwards when the neighbours got to know of the sad news they rushed into find out what it was all about. By this time the lady was dead.

Valuable

According to Police the same house had been burgled in November last year. The robbers took away valuable goods including a cellular mobile phone. On this occasion however the killers had not left behind any clues for the detectives to pursue their investigation.

Meanwhile Police Finger Print experts were also summoned to the scene. Detectives thereafter removed the plaster bandage covering the face of the corpse and commenced their investigation. They visited several pharmacies in Borella and made discreet inquiries about anyone who had purchased a plaster bandage. Several pharmacists in the area told them that they cannot remember any person in particular. Hundreds of plaster bandages are sold daily to customers, they said.

But one smart pharmacist told the sleuths that he can faintly remember a young person who called over at his pharmacy to purchase a plaster bandage.

Having picked up vital information, the sleuths rushed back to the office. They sketched several faces that resembled the man who called over at the pharmacy.

They took back the sketch and showed it to the pharmacist who told them that a similar person had purchased the plaster bandage from him.

The sleuths then visited Sumangala Mawatha where they showed the sketch to residents and asked whether they could recognise the man.

Several residents were able to recognise the young man who worked as a chauffeur in a house close by some time ago.

The young suspect who passed his GCE Advance Level examination found a job as a chauffeur in the neighbourhood at Sumangala Mawatha, Borella. He lived four houses away from the home where the murder was committed.

Several teams from the Colombo Detective Division worked on the case. They picked up another clue when they learnt that someone had given a telephone call to the stolen mobile phone.

Finally a team of detectives proceeded to Kuruwita in the Sabaragamuwa province and arrested the two suspects. The detectives were convinced the robbers who burgled the house in November last year had committed the heinous crime as well.

When questioned the suspects confessed that they burgled five houses and stolen a laptop computer, two cameras and four cellular mobile phones.

They learnt the burglaries were committed during the past few months. While the suspects were being questioned sleuths learnt that one suspect had a diploma in computer science.

He had a passion for expensive laptops. Both suspects had burgled seven houses in Colombo and two at Kandy.

Several police teams have fanned across the country to recover stolen Laptops and Cellular Mobile phones which had been sold to unsuspecting customers.