Five held over Haputale killings

Sandasen MARASINGHE

The Police have arrested five persons and identified another 23 persons involved in the inhumane murder of two young door-to-door hawkers at the Thotalagala Estate in Haputale on August 11 mistaking them for ‘suspicious characters’.

“Tension has eased in the Haputale area and the people are engaged in their day-to-day activities peacefully as they are no longer disturbed by rumours of suspicious characters,” the Police said.

The five arrested on August 27, were residents of Thotalagala Estate. They were remanded until September 8, the Police said. The Police added that 23 other suspects were absconding, but the Police have been successful in tracing their whereabouts.

The two hawkers selling rugs were hacked to death by a violent mob in the Thotalagala Estate. A witness told police that the mob attacked the two brutally on suspicion.

The Police identified the victims as Somasundaram Mahendran, 29, and Sylvester Dias Jhonny Peter, 35, both residents of Kubalwela, Ella.

Prior to this incident, the villagers in Haputale Watta had assaulted two men brutally.

This led to a clash between the Police and the villagers, in which an OIC and a constable were injured. Due to this, the Police had delayed arriving at the scene at Thotalagala by about five hours when the two youths were killed. He added that those who take the law into their hands and carry out attacks will be punished.