Triple murder suspect still at large

It was around noon last Saturday (18) when someone telephoned the Wellawatte police and informed them of an awful stench emanating from a flat below their's which had been closed for nearly a week.

The caller identified himself as a person residing in the same block at Ramakrishna Road, Wellawatte. On hearing the news a team of police officers rushed there to investigate the complaint. After arriving at the spot the police got a stench coming from the direction of a flat which was located on the ground floor of the three-storeyed building block.

Surprisingly, there was pin drop silence in the house. The neighbours told the police that they had seen an elderly couple along with their daughter in the flat a few days ago but had not seen them thereafter as it was closed. Their son who had been occupying the flat had brought his parents and his sister there a weeks ago. However, when policemen knocked on the door there was no response.

Daughter

Later the police forced open the door and entered the bedroom from where the foul stench came. Inside the bedroom they found the bodies of three people lying on beds and covered with bed sheets. The bodies were in a highly decomposed state. “It appeared that they had died a few days ago," the Police Media Spokesman, SSP Ajith Rohana said. Police also found several Naptheline balls and air fresheners deliberately scattered in the room.

Police identified the deceased as Sangili Kumaraswamy (59), the father, Iyappan Pupathi (55) the mother and Kumaraswamy Anandapriya (23) their daughter who was employed in the same estate as a clerk where her father worked. The father worked in the estate as a minor employee. Ten days ago their son visited his parents at Kotagala and brought them to Colombo along with his sister where they put up at his rented out flat at Ramakrishna Road, Wellawatte.

When the Sunday Observer queried about the mysterious nature surrounding their deaths last Saturday the Police Media Spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana said they were awaiting the report from the Judicial Medical Officer to begin investigations. “We are unable to say anything at this juncture until the autopsy was over,” he said.

On Monday the JMO Colombo carried out the autopsy and the stomach contents of the deceased were sent to the Government Analyst for further examination. “We are looking at the possibility whether the father, mother and their daughter had been poisoned by the son. He had disappeared following their deaths and his whereabouts are not known to anyone,” the Police Media Spokesman said.

Senior DIG Colombo, Anura Senanayake has directed the Director Colombo Crime Division (CCD) SSP D.A. Ranaweera and his team of officers including OIC Crimes Wellawatte to investigate the mysterious deaths of the three people at Ramakrishna Road, Wellawatte on August 18. Already several police teams have fanned across the country in search of the missing son who is said to have disconnected his mobile phone to prevent police tracking his movements.

Orders have also been issued by the Colombo Magistrate to the Immigration and Emigration Department to prevent the suspect from leaving the country. Police said the suspect has been identified as Prasan Kumaraswamy, a Medical Representative, employed by a private company in Colombo. The man is believed to be on the run.

The suspect had sent an e-mail to a relative residing at Kotahena stating that he was fed up with life following the deaths of his parents but had not indicated where he was and what he intends to do in the future. He also had mentioned giving a potent drug to his parents and his sister.

“We are looking at the possibility whether the suspect committed the triple murders over some money transaction with his parents or due to some other involvement.

There appears to be no clue as to why he killed them in this manner. But we will get to the bottom of it when the suspect is arrested.” The gold jewellery that his mother and her sister possessed has disappeared and police suspect that the son had stolen them after killing them. Sleuths working on the case have also uncovered evidence that the suspect had borrowed Rs 250,000 from a jeweller at Kotahena, Colombo. “We are investigating whether the suspect had borrowed large sums of money from other businessmen as well ,” police said.

Examination

The Additional Government Analyst who visited the scene of the crime has collected the vomit samples for examination. Police also found a cup containing some powered substance in the room. They have sent to the Government Analyst for a report.

“It is not known whether the powered substance was toxic until we receive a report from the Government Analyst,” police said.

According to police sources, the suspect had purchased a large quantity of sleeping tablets and four cups of yoghurt from a pharmacy in Colombo. “We presume yoghurt mixed with sleeping tablets and laced with poison were consumed by the parents which resulted in their deaths, “police sources said.It has come to light that the suspect was having an affair with an educated girl whom he was going to wed but had not disclosed any details regarding their marriage to his parents.

He had rented out the flat for Rs 15,000 from a landlady in the area. It was further revealed that the suspect had forcibly brought his parents and sister to Colombo in a car.

A few days later he travelled again to his parental home in Kotagala in a different vehicle leaving behind his parents in Colombo. After ransacking their almirahs the suspect had removed their valuables and clothes, police said.