Homicide verdict into 7-year-old student's death

Chaminda Perera and Sabaragamuwa Group Corr

A homicide verdict was recorded at the inquest on the death of a seven-year-old student of Walgamba Vidyalaya in Kegalle yesterday.

The inquest was conducted by Judicial Medical Officer of Kegalle General Hospital Dr Channa Perera who returned a verdict of homicide due to strangling.

The student was found murdered in an abandoned house near his village on Wednesday evening.

The Kegalle police with the assistance of villagers found his body with severe injuries in his private parts.

The victim, W. Pushpakumara Wijekoon , 07, was used to return to Nimalagoda which is 1 km away from his home in a three wheeler and from there he walks to his house alone.

A complaint made by the victim's father, a postman attached to the Kegalle Post Office said that the villagers in Nimalagoda have seen his son returning to the village in a three wheeler but he had not arrived at the house when he returned from the office at around 3 pm.

By this time, the victim's mother who was employed in a garment factory has also rushed to the house and started searching her son with the assistance of police and the residents. The boy was strangled to death using his school tie and the body was found from an abandoned house in the village.

The Police has arrested a suspect who is said to be a retired soldier. According to police sources, this suspect had been living in his house alone after chasing out his wife and the children. The suspect was to be produced before the Kegalle magistrate yesterday.

Investigations into this murder is being conducted under the direct supervision of Sabaragamuwa Province DIG Manoj Perera, Kegalle SP Priyalala Dasanayake and Kegalle Police HQI Kamal Perera.