Bandaragama housemaid’s death baffles sleuths

Is Bandaragama gradually acquiring the notoriety status of Kahawatte where several women were killed in the past? Two unmarried women had been gruesomely killed at Bandaragama as in Kahawatte, whose killers are still at large. It was on July 23 that the killing of a feeble old servant woman was reported to the Bandaragama police station. She had been strangled to death by unknown assassins. However the motive for her killing is still not clear.

The assassin probably had a knowledge of the surroundings and those who lived at Weedagama, a hamlet in the Bandaragama district, police said. It became obvious to police investigating the murder that the assassin had kept a close tab on those who lived in the area and had even monitored their movements, the times they went out and returned home.

OIC Bandaragama Police station, Chief Inspector Ranjith Kodituwakku and OIC Crimes Inspector Udaya Kumara visited the home of Menika the victim, at Siri-Rajah Mawatha at Weedagama. She was a domestic servant in the house. Her body was found on the floor of her home when police arrived. The victim had been gagged with a piece of cloth. Even her hands were tied with a piece of cloth. “Someone had tied the feeble old woman allowing her to suffocate to death,” police said. The deceased woman was identified as 68 year old Menika, a native of Badulla district.

She had been brought to Bandaragama almost three decades ago to work in the household of a school teacher as a domestic aid. She continued to live and work as a domestic aid even after the death of the school master. She was a spinster according to police. After the school master’s death she continued to “work for Roshani Munaweera (30) the unmarried daughter of the school master. Both of them lived alone in the home.

The school master’s wife Neela Hettiarachchi, a teacher by profession lived at Gonaduwa in the Wadduwa area. Police suspect the domestic aid was killed with the idea of committing theft from the house. According to Police the assassin had ransacked the three almirahs in the household and had searched for valuables such as gold jewellery, gems and cash. But the robbers found nothing. All they found was a radio with some accessories which they took along with them. The murder apparently took place around noon when Roshani Munaweera was away from home.

On the fateful day of July 23rd, Roshani had left home around 6.30 a.m to be in Colombo to follow a study programme. She returned home that day around 5.15 p.m. and called for Menika to open the front door. But the house was enveloped in an eerie silence as Menika wasn’t there to greet her as usual. She then went towards the rear of the house and called for Menika.

The persistent silence made her suspicious. She found the rear door partly opened. When she entered the home she could not comprehend what she witnessed. She saw Menika lying on the ground motionless with her hands tied up. Her mouth was gagged and her body was icy cold. Realising what had happened she screamed out for help. Finally when neighbours arrived on hearing the crisis Roshani explained to them what she had seen.

Meanwhile someone telephoned the Bandaragama police and informed of the gruesome murder. Following the telephone call, OIC Bandaragama Chief Inspector Ranjith Kodituwakku arrived at the scene with OIC Crimes Inspector Udaya Kumara and a police party. They promptly began investigating the gruesome murder. “Two or more persons would have been involved in the murder. They probably killed the old woman because she was able to identify them.

The assassins thereafter had sprayed water on the floor to erase evidence. But we found some prints at the scene and will follow it up with other leads gathered so far to identify the murderer,” police said. Meanwhile ASP Abeyratne Dissanayake under whose purview the Bandaragama police operates has detailed police teams to investigate the crime.

It was on March 26 this year that Harshani Nilukshika Jayaweera (27) an unmarried woman from a wealthy family was found murdered at her home at Milgaswewa at Bandaragama. Her blood soaked body with cut injuries was found in the garage when police visited the home. Although she was rumoured to have had an affair with a man who was employed by her father, police have not found any incriminating evidence against him. The police have not traced the mysterious killer so far.