Distraught lover goes on killing spree

The ghastly slaying of three members of the same family came as a terrible shock to the villagers of Kulugammana - Kurundugahamada in the Katugastota area last week.

A soldier who went berserk over a love affair he had with a girl in the village shot dead her father, mother and the girl herself and committed suicide by shooting himself with the same T-56 firearm.

The tragic incident took place on May 19 around 1.30 a.m.

The soldier decided to wipe out the entire family as they opposed his marriage to the girl.

In recent times we often hear of security service personnel resorting to violence when they fail to realise their dreams. Distraught soldiers aiming their guns at their loved ones has become common occurance today.

Shooting

The shooting at Kurundugahamada took place when the girl's father opened the rear door of their home on hearing somebody knocking at it. When he opened the door the soldier had aimed his T-56 weapon at him and fired the first shot.

The bullet pierced his body and he slumped on the ground.

On hearing the gunshot, his wife rushed to the scene and she too was shot dead by the soldier.

When daughter Nirosha rushed to the door she was horrified to see her parents lying in a pool of blood. Then she saw Priyantha with whom she had an affair.

She ran away through the front door but the killer pursued her and fired several shots killing her on the spot.

Then the killer had returned to the house looking for the elder brother and the younger sister. On hearing the screams of their parents and the sister, they hid themselves in the corner of a room.

The elder brother was waiting for the soldier with a club in his hand.

Heavy blow

Just as the soldier entered the room he dealt a heavy blow on his head which sent him sprawling on the ground.

Although there was a burst of fire from the T-56 weapon it did not harm the brother or the sister. Unable to stand and fight back the soldier aimed the weapon at himself and let go a volley of shots that injured him fatally.

According to the police the wounded girl and her mother died at home while the father was admitted to the Kandy General Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

The neighbours then rushed the fatally wounded soldier to the Kandy General Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries on May 20.

The deceased persons have been identified as Ranjani Kumari (46) the mother Nirosha Ganga Kumari (22) daughter and Ekanayake the father.

The soldier has been identified as Upul Priyantha (22) attached to the Commando Regiment at Ganemulle.

According to the police Nirosha has had an affair with the suspect soldier Priyantha but their happiness was shortlived. When their relationship went sour this year, Priyantha pleaded with Nirosha to be with him and to marry him but she had refused to do so. Nirosha told him to treat her as a sister.

Enraged lover

The enraged lover who suspected that she had found somebody else, a few months prior to the tragic incident visited Nirosha's house and met her parents. They discussed his plans to marry their daughter.

However, the parents had not given their consent owing to Nirosha's disapproval. Priyantha who was on duty at the Ganemulla camp on May 18 had stealthily decamped carrying with him the T-56 automatic weapon.

According to the Army Media spokesman Brigadier Wanaigasuriya the soldier may have dismantled the weapon and carried it in a travelling bag all the way to Katugastota.

Checkpoints

He said due to the absence of checkpoints the soldier would have found it easy to carry a firearm with ammunition without any hassle.

He said the suspect soldier had completed one year's training course at Ganemulla camp but was not a fully fledged Commando.

He had a service record of one year and was not deployed in the war zone of the Northern or the Eastern province.

The soldier could not have suffered from any post traumatic disorders as he was never deployed in the combat zone. This was a clear act of revenge, the spokesman said.