While interrogating suspect:

Police unravel eight year murder mystery

Text and pix S S Godamunna - Gampola Group corr.

Gampola Police have been able to unravel the mystery behind a death that took place eight years ago following the arrest and interrogation of a suspect involved in 16 house breaking incidents.

The suspect, a three-wheeler driver had confessed to murdering a bank employee named Sarath Kumar in the year 2002. According to his confession Sarath Kumar returning after working in Colombo had hired his three-wheeler at about 11 pm to go home from the Gampola town. On suspicion that his client was carrying money the suspect had strangled him to death near a quarry.

The Police had been unable to solve the mystery behind the death since an open verdict was given at the postmortem inquiry held at the Gampola Hospital.

According to the three-wheeler driver’s confession he had found only Rs 250 in the body of the deceased.

Produced before the Gampola Acting Magistrate S M Hussain the suspect was remanded till December 2, 2010. Incidentally the three-wheeler of the murder suspect has a sticker with the word ‘Maitree’ (mercy).