LOVE BLAST AT HAMBEGAMUWA

For objecting to the love affair interdicted soldier of STF, Danushka kills the Fiance’s entire family and commits suicide:

It has been reported on the 8th from Hambegamuwa area in Moneragala a very tragic incident where three persons of the same family were shot and the other, the killer’s fiancé’ was wounded seriously by an interdicted 22 year old soldier from the STF who was the killer had committed suicide by killing himself. The cause of the killing and the shouting was purely because the killer’s father had deeply protested to the love affair.
Danushka Ruwan was an interdicted soldier from the STF. He was only 22 years old and was new to the STF. His fiancé’ Harshini Nirosha was only 19 years old, an Advanced level student. They were blood cousins and had lived only 500 meters away from their residences. Initially when Danushka was coming behind Nirosha she disliked to give her consent to get friendly with him. However she had to give in as he was pestering and bothering her to be his fiance’. Nirosha’s father totally disagreed to this affair for two main reasons. One was after his interdiction he never tried to find an alternative solution. He was very playful and one who could not shoulder responsibility and hence he totally objected to the love affair. The other reason was because they were close blood relations.
Harshini’s father was one Leelaratna. It is learnt that at the beginning Leelaratna had visited Danushka’s residence and announced his disagreement for the love affair. At that moment Danushka had been away and when he returned the neighbors’ had related the incident regarding the visit of Leelaratna to his house and the objections that he had made.
At about 7 p.m. Danushka had visited Leelaratne’s house and has had a severe verbal confrontation. Finally Leelaratne had firmly told him to leave his house and closed the front door. At 8.30 p.m. Danushka had come back to Leelaratne’s house and had knocked at the door hard. As there was no response he had fired some shots at the door with the aid of an automatic fire arm he possessed. Leelaratne got really annoyed and said “are you mad to shoot at the door”. He finally opened the door and scolded him.
For everyone’s surprise Danushka opened fire at Leelaratne a number of rounds of ammunition from his automatic rifle. He was lying wounded in the house. The elder daughter came out and was trying to take a call to the Police from her cell phone. Before she could take the call she too was shot at a number of times. On hearing this noise Leelaratne’s wife Malini too came to see what was happening.She too was shot at a number of times. All three succumbed to the injuries inside the house. Then to see what was going on Harshini came out. Danushka had shot her below her stomach. After shooting her, Danushka had run away in the dark. It has been reported that Harshini was screaming in pain with her injuries.
The only other person who was hiding inside the house was a 10 year old nephew of the Leelaratne family. He had run to the Police station and complained about this tragedy. After the triple murder Danushka had gone to a nearby house and shot himself near a well with the same fire arm to his chest and committed suicide. The automatic firm arm had fallen in to the well.
In the meantime Harshini was rushed for treatment to the Balangoda hospital for treatment and thereafter transferred to the Ratnapura hospital.
This incident had shocked the villagers of Hambegamuwa: Investigations are proceeding.
Photographs by Dharmapriya Liyanarachchi