Ratnaapura loku hamuduruwo who was in shorts ... throttles police officer's neck!

Ratnaapura loku hamuduruwo who was in shorts ...

throttles police officer's neck!

The incident where the viharadhipathi of Veralupa Shri Sambuddharama Vihara, Ratnapura killed a police officer who visited the temple and killed him has raised a dialogue by now. 

A court case against this thero is being heard at magistrate's court; but on a number of occasions he had evaded the case and the thero has even fled the temple. As a consequence summons has been served on the thero asking him to be present in court.  Police officer Samarawickrema of minor offences section of Ratnapura police has gone to hand him the summons on a number of instances

with the motive of making him present himself in court but as the thero had fled the temple, it had been in vain. Last morning (10) on a tip off received by the villagers that the thero had come back to the temple, the police officer has gone to the temple on having received this information armed with the last summons certificate issued by court in order to hand it over to him. He had in fact gone there only by himself. 

At that moment the viharadhipathi who had been hiding inside the vihara had squeezed the police sergeant's neck and neighbours who heard the sergeant screaming had informed 119 police emergency unit. Accordingly a team of police officers who arrived on the scene had surrounded the vihara, in which instance the thero had rushed to the avasa house and closed the door; later coming out from there with a hand-grenade in the hand. When he was about to fling it, police officers who were armed with a baton had dealt a blow at the thero and thus were able to bring him under control. As a result of that blow the thero's arm had been severely fractured, it is learned. The sergeant on the other hand who was in a critical condition after being throttled and had collapsed at that spot though admitted to hospital was found already dead, police say.

The 53 year old police sergeant who had died was a father of two children living in Pallebedda area. He had recently been transferred from Pallebedda police and attached to Ratnapura police to the reception desk. What people in the vicinity say is that this particular thero had got involved in various clashes with those around and had to appear in several cases of litigation. 

Nimal, a person residing closeby said that because of various malicious activities in which the neighbours were harassed had complained many a time to the President and Secretary of Defence as police had not taken proper action. On the day of this incident, though somebody was heard shrieking from the direction of the temple had not cared to inquire as they knew the behaviour of the thero; but had inquired after coming out of the house in which instance what met their sight was that someone was being strangled with this victim on the ground at the doorstep of the avasa house. Therefore, they had informed the police about it, a neighbour said.

At the time police came on the scene, the thero was seen dressed in a pair of shorts, minus his robe. A hand-grenade manufactured in a foreign country was found lying in front of the avasa house. The cap which the sergeant had and documents which he had taken with him were found at that spot. 

The suspect taken into custody and detained is presently under interrogation by officers of Ratnapura police crime detection unit. The suspect thero had been appearing under the name Konwalane Dhammasara and had actually come to this location as an outsider 10 years before this. A short time after his arrival he has had several conflicts with the neighbourhood and had even assaulted them on certain occasions. Neighbours say that the thero is also champion in angampora (martial art) and it is also reported that he had taken money by selling tickets by mentioning various things making them understand that it was for the maintenance of the temple and viharasthanaya. Ratnapura police are making further investigations into the incident.