Killers wait for their prey opposite dispensary
Two men lurking under the cover of darkness suddenly sprang up and
walked towards Dr. Priyanka Prasad Jayasinghe who was going towards his
car parked on the opposite side of his private dispensary at Maha-Edanda
at Karandeniya. The men were clad in black clothes and wore helmets so
as to conceal their identity, according to police. However, it did not
take long for the two assassins to accomplish their mission.
The incident happened on the October 29, 2011.
As the unsuspecting doctor approached his car to retrieve his laptop,
one man inched towards him and pulled out a 9 mm pistol from his trouser
pocket and fired nine shots repeatedly at him. The fatal shots were
fired at point blank range. The bullets pierced his head and the body
while the doctor slumped to the ground. The stillness of the night was
shattered when the shots were fired around 10.45 p.m that night.
Although it was late in the night some people were still gathered
outside the doctor’s private dispensary. But no one for a moment
imagined that the two men waiting on the road side near his dispensary
would turn out to be killers.
The two assassins disappeared into the night by riding a motorcycle
after accomplishing their mission. However, it is still not known
whether anyone in the crowd was able to identify the killers. The crowd
that heard gunshots rushed towards the fallen victim no sooner the
assassins fled the scene.
The critically injured doctor was rushed to the Karandeniya hospital
with the help of people. But the doctor succumbed to his injuries at the
Karandeniya Hospital. Before long the news of the shooting incident
spread and was on everybody’s lips.
Tension boiled over when villagers learnt of his tragic demise. They
could not simply bear the pain, sorrow and the trauma of the gory
incident. The reason being that he was immensely popular among the
residents of Karandeniya. The deceased doctor was attached to the
Karandeniya District Hospital. As a mark of protest, the doctors of the
Matara Government Hospital did not report for work on October 3
afternoon. Even business establishments in the Karandeniya town and in
the adjacent towns were closed as a mark of respect for the deceased.
Following the shooting, DIG, Southern Province Wijaya Amarasinghe
instructed the SSP Elpitiya to assign three police teams to work on the
case and to apprehend those who were linked to the murder. Meanwhile
Director of the Criminal Investigation Department, (CID) SSP, Mahesh
Perera sent a special team to Karandeniya on the instructions of IGP
N.K. Ilangakoon to assist the local police teams in their
investigations.
The deceased doctor had set up a private clinic in Karandeniya almost
a decade ago. But the channel service that he commenced almost two years
ago became immensely popular among the people of Karandeiya. Police are
now probing whether the killing was linked to professional jealousy or
whether the deceased had any clandestine affairs with women.
The killing, however had baffled everyone in the village simply
because the doctor had no enemies in the village.
Dr. Jayasinghe, a 41-year-old bachelor was extremely popular among
the villagers. He was attached to the Borakande Government Hospital at
Karandeniya. About two months prior to the incident he had complained to
his mother that someone had pelted stones at his car while he was on his
way to Colombo.
The incident happened at Egodawela area. But the doctor had not
complained to the Karandeniya police station regarding the incident.
On another occasion someone had poured liquid cement and oil on to
his car but the doctor had still not complained to the Karandeniya
police.
Police teams are now investigating whether those incidents were
related to the assassination.
A senior police officer told the Sunday Observer that no arrests have
been made so far. Could it be the work of professional assassins who
killed him. What was the motive for killing an innocent man who rendered
a service to the people of Karandeniya?
The deceased was a past pupil of St. Theresa’s Primary School at
Elpitiya who won a grade 6 scholarship and entered Ananda College
,Colombo from where entered the Colombo Medical Faculty.
After passing out from the Colombo Medical Faculty in 1998 he was
appointed a doctor at the Sri Jayawardenapura Hospital. In 2000 he was
appointed a doctor to the Karandeniya District Hospital and worked there
until he met with his untimely death.
A senior police officer said that this was a premeditated murder as
the killers had waited patiently outside his dispensary. However, the
motive is still not clear as yet,” a senior police officer said. OIC
Karandeniya, Inspector Sujith Priyantha is assisting the police teams
investigating the murder.
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