Police arrest suspect serial killer

Sandasen Marasinghe

*All victims old women

* No clues left

Kahawatta Police have arrested a youth suspected of murdering several old women living alone. He was arrested last Thursday night by the Mobile Unit of the Kahawatta Police when he was attempting to break in to a house where a 62-year-old woman was living alone. Neighbours who heard a sound had alerted the police about the incident around 11.30 pm.

According to the Police, the suspect, a 29-year-old estate labourer in the area had confessed to killing three old women since 2008.

Police said the suspect has been in the habit of raping the corpses after killing the old women.

He had allegedly murdered Sellaiyah Mariamma (56) of Opatawatta on July 21, 2008. Again on June 13, 2010 he is alleged to have murdered D Baby Nona (48) while she was bathing alone in a stream near her home. The third murder was allegedly committed by him on December 21, 2010 at Hettiyakanda, Dimbulwela in Kahawatta. The victim was 80-year-old S M Heenmenika.

Residents were griped with a fear psychosis as the Police had been unable up to now to make a breakthrough in the investigations into these serial killings. Their apprehensions had increased in 2010 when the killings became more frequent. The criminal had not left any clue for the police to follow.

Investigations are being conducted by a police team led by Kahawatta Police OIC Chief Inspector R D Aluthgamage under the supervision of ASP Amarasinghe and SSP L G Kularatne under the instructions of Senior DIG S K Shankar.