STORY OF YAKADAYA’S RELATIVES

The corpse of ‘Yakadaya’ was not claimed by any of his relatives.

The famous Marawankada ‘Yakadaya’ was named as Sri Lankan Robin Hood, had passed away at the Angoda Mental Hospital on the 9th of this month. Until today the 27th after 18 days no relative had come to claim his body and to attend to his last rites.
However the Government had decided to bear the cost of the funeral expenses and as it was getting delayed a businessman from Gampaha, Osman Gunaratna has come forward to bear the cost of the funeral expenses.
Yesterday the body had been taken to a relatives place in Kekirawa and the funeral is scheduled to take place on Saturday at the Nelliyagama Public cemetery.”Yakadaya’ was a person, whom even our past Prime Minister Bandaranaike had given recognition. Even our President also had taken interests to see to his needs and interest. That was some time back. It is learnt that he used to adopt tactics of Robin Hood by robbing and donating what he had robbed amongst the poor.
After his death the only relative who had come to see him had been one Vidanelage Piyasena who disclosed to the media his unusual doings in this manner:
“I have come from Manampitiya village of Polonnaruwa. The deceased is Jinadasa (Yakadaya) is my Grandfather’s sister’s son. He had been in prison most of his life. Twice he was sentenced to death. Once S.W.R.D Bandaranaike, gave him a pardon. Once he was released from prison he never stopped robbing. Once he robbed a jewellery shop and a bank. It has been told that he distributed those robbed among the poor community. Because of his unusual behaviour the relations in shame pretended as if he was not a relative. We never associated with him. I have heard that he had started robbing from his younger days. Once he had robbed a person’s purse when he was bathing in a river and handed the purse to his home people. Jinadasa’s father without saying anything had laughed over the matter. After that he was not afraid to rob. When he was followed after a robbery he had jumped into the river and escaped .As he was noted to be a ‘Master ‘robber no one liked to associate with him. I never cared to find about him. I only heard that he had died in hospital.”