Criminal past leads to gruesome murder:

Friend turns deadly foe

By Ananda Agalakada

Darkness surrounded them all the while, a tiny speck of light fell through a small orifice on the side of the roof. Hunger pangs surrounded them from morning to night. The hard floor was their abode . It was a five by ten rectangle of hard cement.

Making a crucial search for vital clues

They ate a ladle of rice served with some watery gravy while being seated on this hard concrete which gave them cramps all over the body. They were dressed alike in off white long shorts and a banian- type shirt.

Huddled together they eyed one another with suspicion but along the way their friendship grew. They just had each other. They were inmates of the same cell in prison. Here they built up a friendship and spoke of their lives outside the prison walls. Now they became the best of friends. Their friendship began in a strange place, in the prison of Kegalle.

Their friendship gathered momentum. They ate together, slept together lived together as inmates under the same roof. Without regular light or even a little breeze they were confined to the dark cell at most times and they sought solace in each other’s company to escape the boredom and derive courage and strength from their plight. The two of them were of the view that they were serving a prison term for no fault of theirs and that it was the fault of society and the system as a whole but decided to face their lot with determination.

The two of them counted every day that passed by until the day came when their sentence ended and they were released from prison and could go back home.The 27-year-old Miran Kausika resided in YSS Thibmirigolla Damana in the Amparai district. He lived with his wife Anusha Chandrika and their only child. The child was differently- abled since birth and could not move on his own like other children.

Miran wanted to lead a happy married life with his beloved wife and son. They were farmers and went to the chena at the break of dawn with a lot of expectation. Miran valued family life and did everything within his capacity to live in harmony. What is more, he endeavored to fulfill his duty by his wife and child in the best possible manner. However it was difficult to keep the home fires burning and he had thought he could solve the issue by stealing. The situation changed when Mira was charged for stealing.

Her distressed husband	The victim of the heinous crime

He was convicted of stealing and was jailed for six months. Now that he was in prison he wondered what fate had in store for his little child and wife.

Anura Silva who was forty five years-old and his partner in crime hailed from Horana and was facing a prison term at the Kegalle prison when Miran was also sentenced and came under the same roof. It did not take long for them to build up a friendship. After six months Miran’s hope of a release was realised.

By the time, the two of them were released from jail they ended up being the best of friends. Miran did not forget his friend Anura Silva. He remembered how Anura supported him while he served the prison term. Anura had a criminal past and so he could not live in his native village as there were many threats against him and his life was in danger if he returned to his village.

Miran invited Anura to come to his house and live with his family. Not knowing what this relationship would entail.

Anura welcomed the invitation and was looking forward to living with his friend. They left for Damana in the Amparai district where Miran lived. Anura was transfixed when he saw the surroundings where massive chenas filled with many crops could be seen on either side of the footpath. The picturesque area filled with huge trees was a soothing experience for Anura who had never been accustomed with such an area and he thought to himself that this was an ideal location and was looking forward to settling in with his friend and family.

In this backdrop Miran would not have in his wild3 they would have to bid farewell to their beautiful village.

Anura was warmly welcomed into the household. After his arrival Anura began to help Miran and his wife around the house and even in the chena. To all intents and purposes he was happy among them. Anura constantly cuddled Miran’s little son and it looked as if he was fond of the little girl. He also began avidly helping them in the chena. The chena was corn cultivation.

Miran was looking for ways and means to assist Anura. He never had doubts about him. He advised him on many occasions to turn a new leaf and give up his old habits. Anura had lived for six months in Miran’s house. Then he built a hut on a huge tree close to Miran’s house. He selected the huge tree which was a Madan tree. Miran thought that Anura had built the hut to escape elephant attacks which were rampant in that area. Miran did not have any need to be suspicious of Anura’s actions.

He began to help them with their daily needs. Miran’s wife was a beautiful woman with healthy, black long tresses which she usually tied up in a chignon on the nape of her neck. Her buxom figure was a sight to behold. She always wore low-cut jackets exposing half her bosom which will titillate the senses of any man. But this did not cause any alarm in Miran’s mind. She was alwas clad in that manner. He took his wife for granted and carried on as usual even though he had Anura living in the precincts.

On that fateful day Miran left for the village fair with popcorn cleaned and ready to be sold. The pop corn was picked from the chena which he and Anusha had so painstakingly cultivated. After selling the popcorn he returned to his home with goods for his beloved wife and little son.

What happened next was beyond belief. He went home and found his wife in a pool of blood. She had been gruesomely killed with a sharp instrument. He began to weep in front of her lifeless body.

His little daughter was unaware of what had happened to her mother and she was staring blankly at the body of her lifeless mother. Later he came to know that his ‘friend’ Anura had committed suicide by hanging himself on a tree nearby.

Anura had betrayed Miran’s trust and friendship and he was devastated. He could not come to terms with what had happened to him.Miran rushed to the police in Damana and lodged a complaint because that was all he could do.

The Actting OIC of the Damana police IP Priyantha Bandara, OIC Crime Saumya and a police team are conducting further investigation on instruction of SSP Mahagedara and ASP Pavithtra Dayaratne in Ampara police division.