Jealousy was the cause for the murder

Continued from Aug. 8

Ananda Jayasena (Senior Suptd. of Police (Rtd) Boralesgamuwa)

Sgt. Ariyadasa and I went in search of Jasso Hamy. She was at home. She told us that her son Sumanapala left to Damasces two weeks back and she received a letter from him yesterday and handed over the letter.

It was stamped 7 days back in Damasces K.S.A. I asked Jasso Hamy, whether her son had any friends around Aluthgama she said she did not know. She went inside and brought a square ruled exercise book and showed us an address. Same was written in Sinhalese and it read as K. L. Manidasa 28, Kannatte Rd, Arachchimulla, Bentota and she said that this address was written by that boy himself. I noticed that the corresponding page had been happerxardly. I took this book as a production. Sgt. Ariyadasa recorded her statement. We returned to Aluthgama and gave a message to the Immigration and Emigration branches of the CID to find out whether Sumanapala had left the country.

Same evening, reply was received informing that the person referred to holds pass port No. XB6461 and had left to KSA on March 16 by KLM flight 207 at 9.40 p.m.

We made inquires for P. L. Munidasa, he had left the village and his mother who is a widow resides near Maha - Kade' Arachchimulla in Bentara Elpiitya Road.

I reported facts to the Court, on a 'B' report and moved Courts to forward the handkerchief to the Gort: Analyst to see whether traces of several fluid was found there in.

Two days latter, on informant of PC 1712 Thilakaratne of my station, had told him that this accused was seen in the village around 7.00 p.m.

Sgt. Ariyadasa, PC Tilakaratne, who was in mufg and I went in the jeep and parked on the same in the road about 1/2 a mile away from Maha Kade. And send Tilakaratne with the informant.

The informant had shown the house and gone away. PC Tilakaratne who went to the accused mothers house, had been told by her that Munidasa had gone to see a friend close by and is awaited at any movement. Munidasa had come home around 9.00 p.m. and Tilakaratne has told him that Sumanapala of Kadawale had fixed two jobs for them and wanted to go to 183 Averiwette Rd, Wattala and to meet Sahul Ahamed at 7.30 a.m. tomorrow. Tilakaratne had suggested that they go now, stay at his house and meet Ahamed tomorrow early morning, and finalize the journey. Munidasa agreed, took his passport and left with Tilakaratne. He was forcibly put in to the jeep and brought to Aluthgama Police Station.

The time was 20.00 p.m. we started interrogating Munidasa. He denied any knowledge of the murder. When I showed him the address of Sumanapala in the exercise book page, he broke down and admitted that he committed the murder.

I recorded his statement which went up at 3.00 a.m. Kapuliyanage Munidasa stated that the deceased was one Kalu Dewage Somawathie from Uragaha. She was on orphan and lived with her grand mother. About two years back when he went to work there, he be friended her and brought her to Bentota and lived as husband and wife, but not legally married. She went to work in a shoe factory, in Bentota.

One day, when he came home unannounced he found her in tied with a superior of the Shoe Company. He chased after the Supervisor but could not catch him. He wanted to kill his mistress but he chased her out. She had worked in a textile wearing centre and subsequently joined a house of ill and his friends, who thought that they were married had told this to him.

He got disgusted and wanted to get rid of her.

On the fateful day he met her in the town and advised her and called her back. She readily agreed and he wanted her to come to Bentota bridge around 2.00 p.m. She came there as promised. It was drizzling, both of them went, there he sometimes came to fish. Slept with her twice stabbed her several times till she was dead and went away. No one saw them coming or his going away. He had thrown the weapon of offence into the river.

Subsequently, I produced the suspect Kaputiyanage Munidasa in Magistrate's Courts Kalutara and got him remanded for 12 days for an identification parade.

The day of the identification parade both witnesses, the gate-keeper K.T. Wilson, and his friend W.D. Sirisena identified the accused at the parade held in courts as the person who was seen with the deceased, on that day.

I went to the Shoe Company and met R. Ariyaratne, the Personnel Manager and obtained the EPF forms of K.J. Somawathi where her left thumb and right thumb impressions were found, I forwarded them to RFP to compare them with the prints found on the dead woman traced by Aluthgama Police on 20.03.66. Four days later RFP who had compared both prints informed us that the prints were identical.

I filed a complaint under Section 296 CPC against the accused K.L. Munidasa and moved Court to obtain specimen hand writing of the accused and forward same to Examiner of Questioned Documents for report after a lengthy non Summary proceedings, the case was committed to Supreme Courts by the Magistrate Kalutara.

About one year later, this case was listed to be heard in the Supreme Courts Kalutara. The Crown Counsel who was detailed to conduct this case had done his home work.

He called JMO first and next was the Government Analyst. The third witness to be called was the Examiner of Questioned Documents. He stated that the hand writing in the exercise book traced by Police was very similar to that of the accused. The next two witnesses called of the prosecution were the gate-keeper William and his friend Sirisena. Both of them told in evidence that the accused was seen talking to the deceased a few minutes earlier just before finding of the body.

The next witness to be called was Jasso Hamy, mother of Sumanapala. She identified the accused having come home to meet her son and son giving a paper and the address was written by the accused.

The last witness to be called for the prosecution was your truly. I was kept in the box for about half and hour and was released.

The Crown Counsel closed the case for the prosecution. The defence did not want to call the accused to the witness box. But gave his statement from the dock so that he cannot be cross examined by the prosecution. The jury retired and came after about 20 minutes and informed Court that they unanimously found the accused guilty of the murder of K.D. Somawathie of Uragaha on or about the March 16, 1966.The Judge passed the death sentence on the accused K.D. Munidasa to be hanged in the precints of Welikada jail till he was dead.

(Names of Accused and deceased are fictious, other all names are genuine)