Illicit power tapping kills mother, son

W.C.B. Fernando Puttalam group corr.

PUTTALAM: A woman and her son who tried to tap electricity illegally died of electrocution when the wire contacted a barbed wire fence.

Magilin Samarakoon, 60, and her son Sujith Romilus Samarakoon, 40, of Dewalahandiya, Wilpatha died of electrocution when they accidentally contacted a barbed wire fence touching a live wire drawn to their house to tap electricity from a nearby electricity line on Monday.

Pallama police said investigations revealed that Samarakoon had been electrocuted when he rushed to help his mother, who was already glued to the barbed wire fence. The illegal line had been drawn by fixing a hook to the main electricity line.