Fate strikes a cruel blow on pretty woman

By Ananda Agalakada

Unknown to man, destiny plays strikes on him. Pretty Maddumage Leelawathi Pushpakumari, 49, of Avissawella would never have imagined that she would die at the hands of a killer.

No one would have ever dreamed that this beautiful lass with lovely long hair and good looks would end the way she did.

Pushpakumari married the love of her life, who was a minor employee in a factory close to her home. He was Pailige Ariyaratne, 53, from Delgoda. After marriage, Pushpakumari settled down with her husband in Siyambalapewatta, Delgoda.

Happiness

Pushpakumari was thrilled that at last she was going to live with the love of her life. She spared no pains to make her life a happy one.

Though Pushpakumari loved her husband he did not reciprocate her feelings. His was always a lukewarm response. As time went by he always found fault with her and was in the habit of humiliating her.

He often did this even in front of her relatives thus causing embarrassment and heartburn to Pushpakumari. However, Pushpakumari took it in her stride and bore the harassment with fortitude as she was now a mother and had to bring up her children. She did not dwell on her sadness and got about her daily household chores.

They had two daughters and a son. Pushpakumari always sought happiness by being with her children.

Her husband Ariyaratne spent his time in the company of women. Of late he had begun an illicit affair with a woman in the village. Pushpakumari was informed about it, but she decided to turn a blind eye for the sake of her children. But this did not go well with Ariyaratne. He always quarrelled with her and abused her. He was all the time the worse for liquor. The situation took a turn for the worst and he began to assault her. She could not bear the harassment any more. After years of abuse and humiliation she could take it no more and one day decided to leave him. So she left for her uncle's residence nearby.

However, Ariyaratne did not allow her to take the children with her. He created a commotion and Pushpakumari had to leave without any of them. Pushpakumari loved the children and could not bear to leave without them and what is worse she had no way of even seeing them either. Ariyaratne saw to it that Pushpakumari would not set her eyes on the children.

The next best thing she thought was to see them in school. She would often go to the school and hang around the school gates and get a peek at her children. Pushpakumari was afraid that Ariyaratne would see her and then assault her in the presence of other children, so she would always visit them in a discreet manner.

The children in turn loved their mother and did not understand what had struck their family life. They would happily talk to their mother whenever she visited them. This was going on for some time but Pushpakumari was severely cash strapped and needed money for herself and realised that her children also needed money.

She then decided to leave the country and seek employment in the Middle East and somehow provide financial assistance to educate her children. She went to Dubai, next she went to Saudi Arabia and finally to Kuwait. She was out of the country for several years. After she returned she somehow met her children. Pushpakumari had met Latha while she was abroad. She was a resident of Kekanadura in Thalpawila.

Employment

The two of them returned to the country after employment abroad. Pushpakumari had befriended Latha and would regularly go to Kekanadura to visit her and Latha's family members also came to know her. Latha and her husband always entertained Pushpakumari whenever she visited them.

Subsequently, Latha had gone to the Maldives for employment and Pushpakumari got a job in a manpower company in Colombo. One day Pushpakumari left for Kakanadura from Colombo. She had not told her family members why she was making a sudden visit to Kekanadura. However, Kekanadura was agog that a woman's body was lying near a shrub along the railway tracks between Matara and Kataragama. It was later identified as the body of Pushpakumari who had been killed. There were many injuries on her body and her face was mutilated. Villagers in Kekanadura was shocked to hear of the death of one of their villagers.

They could not believe that this woman who was so honest and hard-working would die at the hands of a killer.

It evoked grief and shock in the village. Such cruelty was unheard of in this little village in the Matara district where everybody knew each other quite well.

The Acting OIC of Gandara police, Rukman Kottage and a police team rushed to the scene when they got the news of the killing. According to the police an anonymous caller had given a message from a mobile phone. Acting on the information, the police made a thorough search of the area around the crime scene. A peek into an abandoned well nearby showed some items floating. A villager climbed down the well with a rope and found two bags which belonged to Pushpakumari.

The bags were opened by the police and a passport, clothes, a mobile phone and a toothbrush and toothpaste were found. Two suspects were arrested. The main suspect had fled the area.

Acting OIC, Rukman Kottage Crime OIC Vitharana and a police team are conducting investigations on the instruction of SSP Deshabandu Tennakoon in Matara police division.