Public fears dispelled, confidence restored:

Kahawatte murders - police to arrest suspects soon

by Jayampathy JAYASINGHE

The police have taken steps to arrest the suspects linked to the mysterious murders at Kahawatte.

This would dispel fears among the public and restore confidence among residents in the area with the help of the Army and the Police Special Task Force (STF), IGP N.K. Illangakoon told a media briefing.

Of the seven murders five have been already solved. The mystery murders had been committed by certain disgruntled persons who had problems regarding property matters and those who were linked to sexual violence. “But there wasn’t a ghost Boothaya who had committed these crimes.”

The IGP said that people got alarmed when three women were murdered at Kahawatte between April and June this year.

The Director General of the Media Centre at the Defence Ministry, Lakshman Hulugalle said a wrong perception was projected among the public regarding the murders at Kahawatte. He appealed to the media to refrain from giving a wrong impression that a ghost had been responsible for the deaths of these women. This can lead to unrest in the area, he said.

Senior DIG Sabaragamuwa, Pujitha Jayasundera said although the police had arrested the suspects linked to the three murders at Kahawatte there was a sense of unease and fear among the residents. However, we dispelled that fear and restored the people’s confidence by initiating a dialogue with the residents. “We have gathered information regarding other murders too and the suspects will be arrested soon. There was no ghost or a Boothaya linked to these murders,” he said.

Seven women had been murdered in the Kahawatte area from 2008 to 2011. The first was of a woman aged 56 who had been murdered at the Opatha estate in July 2008. The second murder of a 52-year old woman was committed in November 2008. The third murder was of a 47-year old woman at Kahawatte in April 2010. In the same year, an 80-year-old woman was murdered at Kahawatte in December. Thereafter, a 66-year-old woman was murdered at Kahawatte in April this year. On May 30, a 85-year-old woman was murdered at Kahawatte. On June 19, a 48-year-old woman was murdered at Niladura, Kahawatte.