Is the 'Kahawatte Bhoothaya' a figment of imagination?:

Sex predator on the prowl

By Manjula FERNANDO

It all began with the murder of a 56 year old woman in an estate, in Kahawatte. Sellamma, a slightly mentally unsound woman in Opatha Watte was strangled to death on July 21, 2008.

She was not only strangled but also raped. The elderly woman was not married and was living in a line-house all by herself. Her relatives used to call on her and bring her food. On that ill fated day one of her nephews brought her dinner and left after seeing that she was doing alright.

The next day the neighbours found her naked body inside the house. She had been raped and brutally murdered. The killing left the otherwise laid back village and its poverty-stricken populace, shocked.

Second killing

Exactly two years after, Kahawatte police received news of the second killing of a woman. But it was too early to predict that a serial killer was on the loose.

On June 4, 2010 a 48 year old woman was killed in Kotakethana, within 3-4 kilometre radius to the first murder.

Baby Nona too was unmarried. At the time of the attack she was bathing in a nearby stream. She was raped, strangled to death and the body dumped in the river, along with her clothes, leaving no trace of a crime at the scene. She was strangled by using a thick rope similar to the ones used by coconut pluckers.

It was after a few days that the body was recovered down stream.

The search was delayed as the killer dumped the clothes in the river leaving no physical evidence that the woman had been by the river at the time of her death.

Third killing

Then came the third killing. By now the police started to suspect that these deaths could be inter-related. Going by the assassin's selection of victims, the way the crimes were committed and the location seemed to follow a pattern.

Heen Menika of Dimbulwala, the third victim was killed on December 21, 2010, six months after the second murder. The killer seemed to be gaining confidence.

The victim who was 80 years of age, was old enough to be a great grandmother had she been married. But this apparently didn't bother the killer who raped the woman before attacking with a sharp curvy knife. There were deep wounds on the back of her head.

Police investigators said despite her age Heen Menika sported no wrinkles and she was fairly young-looking, suggesting that this may have provoked the killer to choose her to be his next prey. She was comparatively attractive and the woman was living alone in the house. With a good eyesight she was doing her own cooking and household chores.

The investigators found that she had been peeling a jack fruit when the assassin entered the house possibly through the back door. Her front door was closed from inside when the police arrived at the scene following a complaint that a murder has been committed.

Heen Menika was dragged into a room. The body of the woman was found leaning to a bed, on a half standing position.

Coconut plucker

On January 24 this year, the police made a breakthrough in its investigations. A 29 year old man, a coconut plucker in the area was arrested by the police. He was handed over to the police by the villagers while the man was attempting to creep into a house of another elderly woman, who was living alone.

The police started to question the man but although he did not show any signs of mental disorder, he started to confess about the three killings.

"We did not believe him just because he made a confession. But he was able to describe the murder scene very accurately - about what he saw as he entered the house and about the things that were left behind as he ran away from the crime scene after killing those women."

The man told them that Heen Menika was peeling a jack fruit when he entered her house.

He also claimed that he saw the Tamil woman when he went to the area to fetch a goat with another person earlier in the day of the murder. He had made a mental note of her and visited her place later that night.

The suspect was referred to a team of specialists from the National Institute of Mental Health, Angoda.

To the doctors he recounted a horrific life story. Twenty years ago, when he was about eight years, the man remembered an incident where some old women attacked and killed his mother. He had been extremely fond of his mother and this incident had traumatised him so much that he had developed a deep hatred towards elderly women.

The doctors conveyed the story to the police and they made inquiries. The police found out that the man's mother has allegedly had an illicit affair with another man. His father upon hearing this had beaten the mother and dragged her along the road while elderly women did nothing but look on. The mother out of humiliation committed suicide later. The man, as a child too small to comprehend all this, had believed that the old women killed his mother. The horrific line of events had etched a contorted story in his mind.

He confessed that he was overwhelmed by this feeling of his mother's tragic death and wanted to do something about it.

The police believe this psychological trauma may have transformed him into a serial killer. The man was produced before the Magistrate and a court case is continuing. He is also being taken regularly to Angoda hospital from the remand prison for therapy. He is expected to be sentenced for the crimes he committed since he is not a classified mental patient as per the doctors. But the therapy will continue to ensure that if he ever returns to the society, he will not be a threat again.

Nevertheless, the arrest of this suspect assassin did not put a stop to the murder of old women in Kahawatte. The people do not believe the police have got the real culprit.

But the police believe the following killings, also committed in Kahawatte police area may not be linked to the murders of the first three women.

In November 19, 2008, Ariyawathie, a woman living alone in Kotakethana, was killed while she was going to her sister's place 250 metres away.

Ariyawathie lived in a house across the river. She was attacked on a sub road and the body was found buried near the river.

On May 30, 2011, Heen Menike, a grandmother of 85 was killed while she was sleeping. Her body was set on fire.

There were no evidence to show that she had been sexually assaulted before the murder. Heen Menike too was living by herself despite a son and one of the two daughters lived in the same neighbourhood. The other daughter lived in Colombo. The assassin had entered the house by breaking the window.

On April 3, 2011 Karunawathie, 66, of Niladura was murdered. She was unmarried and lived with her younger brother after the demise of their mother. She had a habit of visiting the ancestral home every day and spend the day time there. She cooked meals there for the dogs still lived at the house.

She would make offerings to the buddha statue every evening and return to her brother's house for the night. The day of her murder she had strangely opted to stay over at the ancestral home. There were indications that she was first attacked near the lavatory outside the kitchen door and then she was dragged inside. Her body was set on fire on the bed.

On the heels of the above murder (June 20) Jayanthi Menike, 54 of Niladura was attacked on her return from the weekly pola at Kahawatte.

The woman was living with her elderly father. She had to walk about 3km to her house from the road. This was an isolated area of rubber estates and the houses were scattered.

From where the attack took place - half way to her house from the road - the police recovered a ripped blouse and an under skirt. Her hand phone, handbag, an umbrella and the bag of vegetables was sewn here and there. The police also found blood stains on the ground.

The investigators suspect she may have been murdered by her attacker or attackers after being sexually assaulted by the trail left behind at the crime scene. Her body was found buried in Opathawatte on Friday and the investigations are continuing.

The police said the investigators find it difficult to follow the witness accounts as people make up stories to support a theory of an invisible 'Bhoothaya' in the murder of the elderly women in the area.

"There are a lot of estate workers in the locality. They usually carry knives and ropes with them. We are inundated with complaints of men carrying knives after the murders hit the headlines."The police say the last few murders may not have been linked to the coconut plucker. It could well be isolated incidents who could have committed these over personal and family disputes. The 'Kahawatte Bhoothaya' could have been a fine alibi and an easy way out to get rid of these people.

However, with seven murders of elderly woman, the police seem to have drawn to apprehend the killer and bring back peace of mind to the people of Kahawatte.