Restaurant drama takes new twist

Suranjith Perera Dehiwela Mt.Lavinia Cor.

*Indian cook murdered

*Body dumped in Mundalama

*Owner in custody

Police said the Indian national who was reported missing while serving at the Big Banana Restaurant at Stafford Road, Kirullapone was murdered at a nearby house owned by the restaurant owner and the body transported in a double cab before it was dumped in the sea at Mundalama.

Police carried out a search of the residence that was occupied by the restaurant owner Leslie Rajkumar and his wife. The owner is currently been held in protective custody as a suspect.

The CID and several police teams from the Wellawatte and Foreshore police took part in the search.

The murdered youth T. Selvaraja, 23, who was from Chennai had arrived in Sri Lanka on June 11 in the company of the restaurant owner.

Selvaraja who was employed as a cook who turned out Indian delicacies at the Restaurant had suddenly disappeared and a complaint was made at Wellawatte Police on June 26 by the Restaurant owner’s wife Sivakumaran Sivani.

Following the news of the murder, a team from the Crimes Division of Wellawatte Police had questioned four employees of the Restaurant while Mundal Police yesterday recorded a statement from the chief suspect’s wife pertaining to Selvaraja’s disappearance.

Meanwhile, it is reported that the Mount Lavinia Police have arrested the main suspect’s wife Shiwakumara Shiwani, aged 34 in connection with the murder. She has been living with the main suspect for a long time.

Even at the time when the murder had allegedly taken place she had been living in this house. The Police suspects that she may be involved with the murder. She will be produced before the Mount Lavinia Magistrate Courts today. Mount Lavinia Additional Magistrate Ruvira Wellawatte visited the scene and conducted inquiries. Investigations are being conducted by a team of officers headed by OIC (Crimes) Wellawatte Nalin Sriyantha.