Packing a murdered lover in a body bag

by Dhaneshi Yatawara

Rangan Karthika, the 34- year- old woman from Vaddukodai, Jaffna at the end of her life became known as the ‘body in the bag.’

According to the latest findings, following police investigations, the murder suspect of Karthika is none other than her secret lover, the Police Media Unit said. However, the violent ‘Romeo’ is still at large.

The police preliminary investigations, carried out in the aftermath of discovering her body at the Pettah bus stand revealed that Karthika had been murdered and dumped there. The woman, averagely built with a striking face unfortunately, ended up in a travelling bag folded almost in to three.

The quick action from the police and the immediate response from the public who knew her whereabouts have significantly contributed to the quick development of the case in less than 24 hours since the discovery of the body. If not, Karthika still would have been another Jane Doe, a dead body stranded in the middle of the private bus stand at Bastian Mawatha in Pettah.

Police discovered the body last Wednesday (July 29) on a lead by commuters and vendors at the bus stand who saw the folded body in the bag. They could not find a clue to the woman’s identity, at that point, lying inside a travelling bag near the Anuradhapura queue.

By next day (30), after her photographs were made public, Karthika’s identity was established, with the assistance of the family. Her mother, Dharmarajan Klaiwan, had identified the body when shown to the relatives at the Police morgue, according to police reports.

The elderly mother would have never expected to see her daughter dead at the age of 34, and moreover, her daughter’s body to be discovered n an abandoned travelling bag. Through the family, more information flowed, about Karthika.

The police have learnt that Karthika has been involved in an extra marital affair with a man but the true nature of the love affair is yet to be discovered.

Karthika was married and a mother of a seven years old daughter. Her husband works in Saudi Arabia and the family has said that he has not returned home for a long time. Despite the matrimonial bond karthika had been having a clandestine romance with another man for three years and the true nature of the affair is yet to be revealed.

The Police received the CCTV footage showing the suspect carrying the extremely ‘heavy piece of luggage,’ with the assistance from the manager and the staff of a lodge, where Karthika was reportedly staying with her lover. The CCTV footage of the man carrying the dead body-laden suitcase down the staircase with great difficulty and later checking out from the lodge after paying his bill went viral on social media and online news websites.

The unnamed man, now suspected of committing the gruesome murder, is still at large.

Since Friday, police is looking for further information to apprehend the suspect. Police has called for information to be submitted to the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD).

Police Media Spokesman, ASP Ruwan Gunasekara, told the media that two hotlines are opened for the public to share information on Karthika’s murder. ASP

The suspect is likely to be the second most wanted person this week, after ‘Army Sampath,’the main suspect of the Friday(31) Kotahena shooting incident targeting a UNP house-to-hour campaign led by Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake.