Kapurala’s pleasure ends in triple killings

By Jayampathy JAYASINGHE

The news of the triple murder reverberated in the Dolekade junction when people woke up on an early morning on Saturday last week. The victims of the heinous crime were the husband, his mistress and her brother who were stabbed to death with a pointed weapon while the trio were asleep in their residence at Elias Mawatha at Pannipitiya, police said. An eerie silence hung about the partly built upstairs house where the gruesome killing was committed. People in the neighbourhood flocked to the house curious to know what happened on the previous night. The triple killings were reported to the Homagama police by a relative who called at the house in the morning. Someone else had phoned him and informed about the tragedy, police said.

On the following morning several policemen from the Homagama police station including the Headquarters Inspector of the Homagama police station, Chief Inspector Prasanna Ratnayake were present at the scene of crime. Ostensibly, they were looking for vital clues surrounding the mysterious triple killings. By then the house had been cordoned off as it could jeopardise the on going investigation. Policemen were seen collecting blood samples and other productions for solving the crime. The assassin had escaped after committing the crime without being noticed by anyone in the neighbourhood, police said.

The deceased were identified as Anura Tilak Alvitigala (44) who was the former Chief Custodian (Kapurala) of the Rankadu Pathini Devale in the Kaduwela area. The other victims were identified as his mistress Mahayage Sudharsani (38) and her brother Mahayage Dilantha Ratnaweera (36). Their blood soaked bodies were discovered inside the house when the police visited the scene. The kapurala and his mistress had been stabbed with a pointed weapon several times and their brother Ratnaweera had 28 stab injuries on his body. According to police the Kapurala and his mistress were stabbed while they were asleep in their room. The assassins had entered the compound by scaling a wall which was put up adjacent to an abandoned land. Thereafter, they had gained entrance to the house from the rear door.

The second group of assassins also had entered the brother’s room and had fought with him ferociously before he was stabbed to death. “The brother also may have inflicted injuries on the assassins before he went down”, police said. It was also revealed that Alvitigla had several enemies when he was the Chief Kapuwa at the Rankadu Dewalaya at Kaduwela. Apparently, he left the Rankadu Devalaya owing to some disputes he had with other Kapuralas. A week prior to the killing, a youth, who was a drug addict had called over at his Dewalaya at Pannipitiya and demanded money from him.

However, when the Kapurala he did not accede to his demand he had left after threatening him. On another occasion the Kapurala is alleged to have broken a limb of a Provincial Council member following a dispute. The police have questioned the PC member regarding the incident. The police have questioned several people at the Rankadu Pathini Devale in this connection Alwitigala had served as the Chief Kapurala for more than a decade and he is alleged have squandered large sums of money from the Rankadu Pathini Devale. Recently the Kapurala is alleged to have assaulted some people at a bar following a dispute, police said. “We have deployed three police teams to track down the killers.” SSP Nugegoda Division Deshabandu Tennakoon said. A team from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) have also been deployed to hunt down the killers, police said.

It was revealed that Alvitigala was a married man who lived at Bhrakmanagagama, Pannipitiya with his wife and child. His mother, a brother and a sister also lived at their residence. Alvitigala served as the chief custodian of the Rankadu Pathini Devale for several years. After relinquishing duties at the Rankadu Pathini Dewalaya, he built a new Devale at Bhrakmanagama, Pannipitiya and resided there. He cohabited with Mahayage Sudarshani for several years. He had met her while he was the chief custodian of the Devale at Kaduwela. Sudarshani used to visit the Devale often to pay homage to god and the relationship with the kapurala blossomed into a full blown love affair. She finally became his mistress and went to live with him at Elias place at Madulgoda.

Alvitigala was in the habit of visiting his mistress at Eliyas place under the cover of darkness. However people in the village were aware of their relationship. Sudarshani too had been married earlier to a man from Avisswella who was killed sometime ago. She had a grown up daughter from that marriage. Although the motive for the killing was not clear, it appeared as vengeance killing, police said. “Elvitigala has had several adversaries in the past. He was also an accused in a murder case which is being heard in the High Courts of Avissawella. Although he is released on bail, he has to report to the Homagama police station every week.” Police are investigating whether Elvitigala was killed because he could not share the spoils with others at the Rankadu Devalaya. A large amount of cash and jewellery which were at the mistress’s house have been taken away by the assassins.

The Police and the CID are making further inquiries.