Nisansala never returned home

Jayampathi JAYASINGHE

D. Piyum Nisansala (15) was a cheerful teenage school girl who took part in extra curricular activities in her school. She was a grade 6 student at the Prajapathi Gothami Girls' School at Ambalangoda and a keen netball player who attended regular practice sessions at her school. She lived with her mother Pushpa Wasanthi, her brother and sister at Thewatte- Thalgasgoda in the Ambalangoda area. She was the eldest in her family. The three of them lived alone in their home. Her father had gone overseas for employment.

When Nisansala left home for school every morning around 7 her mother usually accompanied her to the Thalgasgoda junction from where she took a bus to school. In the evenings she again walked up to Thalgasgoda junction to escort her back home.

Nisansala usually returned late after netball practices, but her mother waited for her at the Thalgasgoda junction. Mother always had a sense of premonition that something terrible would befall her daughter. Being a mother she was very concerned about her daughter's safety due to her tender age.

Chief Inspector B.L.D. Budagoda

Sub Inspector Pujitha Warusavithana

On December 4 Wasanthi was waiting for her daughter at the Thalgasgoda junction. By now it was around 6.30 p.m. But strangely she did not turn up as expected. She waited for more than an hour expecting her any moment. She was perplexed and alarmed when the girl did not turn up.

She then inquired from persons who gathered at the Thalgasgoda junction about her daughter's whereabouts. As there were no signs of her she desperately began looking for her. Finally she came across a three wheeler driver Prasanna Ruwan who parked his three wheeler at the Thalgasgoda junction. When she inquired about her daughter from him, Prasanna Ruwan said that he saw her around 2.15 p.m. walking in the direction of her home.

She also was carrying two school bags slung across her back and was sipping something from a packet. Since the girl had not come home, Wasanthi went in search of her to the school. But when she made inquiries about her daughter nobody had any clue whatsoever regarding her whereabouts.

In fact, Nisansala had returned home early as netball practice scheduled that day had been cancelled. She then visited a book shop and purchased a whole heap of new school books to be in readiness for the new term. Next year she was going to be in the seventh grade. She carried the books in a separate bag along with the bag containing her school books. Meanwhile, the question that ran through her mother's mind was whether anyone had abducted her beloved daughter.

The mere thought frightened her and the fear she felt was overwhelming. A thought crossed her mind whether she had met with an accident and was in a hospital. Where could she have gone? She paused for a while and went to the Ambalangoda Police Station.

She lodged a complaint there regarding the disappearance of her daughter. By now it was around 8.10. p.m. The police recorded her statement in detail and referred it to the Headquarters Inspector (HQI) of Ambalangoda Police Station, Chief Inspector B.L.D. Budagoda.

After perusing the mother's statement he immediately began investigating the case with the OIC Crimes, Sub Inspector of Police (SI) Pujitha Warusavithana and with other policemen.

When the word went around in the village about the missing school girl, the village folk became alarmed and began to suspect foul play.

That night about 50 men from the village combed a lonely cinnamon planation in the village for any clues left behind by her. Finally when they flashed their torch lights inside a well they found the legs of a child projecting above the water level.

When the body was fished out from the well, the village folks identified her body. She was the missing schoolgirl whom they had been searching for that night. The place where they found the body was about one and a half kilometres away from the victim's home.

Meanwhile, police received a tip off, that a man who raped a 38-year old woman earlier was seen following the girl through a cinnamon estate.

The time was around 2.30 p.m. A police party from the Ambalangoda police station led by Chief Inspector Budagoda visited the suspect's home late in the night but did not find him there. On the same night policemen combed a cinnamon planation and found the suspect hiding there. He was arrested and brought to the police station for further questioning. The well where the body was found was located close to the suspect's home.

According to Police Media Spokesman, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ranjith Gunesekera, the Ambalangoda Police acted fast to apprehend the suspect on the same night. HQI Ambalangoda Police Station, Chief Inspector Budagoda said that the suspect while attempting to commit rape had brutally beaten her with a pole and had throttled her. He then dumped her body inside a well. His predatory behaviour was quite evident from the way how he acted he said.

The Judicial Medical Officer of the Karapitiya Hospital R.R.P.S Amararatne, who held the autopsy examination, stated in his report that death was due to concussion as result of being beaten up with a pole on her head and also due to strangulation.

The suspect was later produced before the Balapitiya Magistrate and remanded pending further investigations.