SERIAL BEGGAR KILLER ARRESTED

“Serial killer”, who had killed several beggars by dashing large stones on their heads while sleeping in the nights, cordoned and arrested:

During the past few days it was reported that beggars had been found killed in Colombo and the suburbs at random places. Many were of the opinion that this would have been the plan of a politician to facilitate the process of cleaning up the city.
The correct stand has now been revealed and proved beyond doubt by the Police that it was not the plan of any politician. The series of killings had been the work of just one person. This person was ultimately found to be a person who likes women, does minor stealings and has a mentally retarded and a distorted mind. This serial killer was ultimately arrested by the Mt.Lavinia Police where all his life time activities were tactfully brought to light through his own confession.
The killings had been made on the pavements of Kollupitiya,Kelaniya,Peliyagoda,Wellawatta, Maradana and Kiribathgoda areas. All the dead bodies amounting to around 15 had been found on the pavements and each had succumbed to head injuries as a result of been hit on the heads with heavy stones. Since no one had claimed these bodies the Police too had not taken the matter seriously and not reported the matter to courts. It is learnt that Human Rights Violation case had been filed regarding these killings.
It is also been heard that the Forces may have been given this task with a view to clean up the city devoid of beggars. It is also suspected that it may have been done on the orders of a strong politician in the Kelaniya area with regard to the killings in the Kelaniya and kiribathgoda areas. However the Peliyagoda case is not a ‘beggar killing’ incident as it had been that of a drunken person. In the light of the killings all beggars who dwell on pavements had been living in the nights in real fear.
The root cause was finally found when a person was arrested as an accused who was proved to be a mental person.
The Police report of the investigations is as follows:
Last week on one night a certain beggar in Mt Lavinia had smashed a large stone on the head of another beggar was seen by some people had caught him and handed over to the police. The victim who sustained injuries when questioned had said that he was not attacked by anyone. For some reason or other the victim had denied that he was not attacked by anyone. He had told that he sustained injuries by slipping and falling. Hence no further investigations were carried out as it was unnecessary.
Nevertheless a similar person was arrested a few days later at Moratuwa. The witness had complained to the Police that he had seen a person with a large stone was muttering something and looking upwards and suddenly slammed the stone on the head of a beggar in the night who was sleeping. He had afterwards gone away taking away the covering sheet. The witness had followed the beggar for about one kilometre. For his support he had not been able to find anyone. When the witness approached the killer he acted to be a dumb person and had threatened the witness in his dumb language. The Killer was then presumed to be a dumb person.
On the 24th of last month the witness too acted like a dumb person. The police personnel came to a conclusion that he could hear well and then he was sent to the School of Deaf and Blind in Ratmalana for an inspection and to obtain a report.
It was found that he was pretending and he was a person who could hear and speak well. It was also confirmed that he suffering from a mental disorder. A doctor had advised that someone must get friendly with him so that all his details could be unearthed.
When his fingerprints were checked he was proved as been a criminal for over a decade. In the year 1999 a sum of Rs 1263/- was robbed from a purse and was arrested by the Modera Police. In the year 2005 a sum of Rs 2160/- was also robbed from a purse was arrested by the kollupitiya Police. In the year 2010 had assaulted a pedestrian and robbed a sum of Rs 7200/-in Maradana. According to his finger prints he had been imprisoned for short periods.
The Police investigators got friendly with him and obtained most of his information from his young days. He answered the questions by stammering certain words. He confessed that he does not know even his parents. Where he was born and his name he was not aware. He had lived his whole life on pavements. When he was small he lived on the pennies he got by begging. When he grew up he had worked in the manning market as a ‘Nattami’. He was known by many as ‘Pu’. Since the ‘Mudalali’s played him out he had started begging once more and even stole money of other beggars.
He had then adopted to kill all beggars who had harmed him after identifying them. He had commenced killing after this decision. He had not known whether those who intended to kill by throwing large stones died, injured or survived. When he made the confession he had said he had been walking along the pavements in the night in search of those whom he disliked and harmed him. The money he got by stealing, he had used to consume liquor. He never harmed those who had helped him. Those who were against him he had noted and killed them.
In his confession he had told that he killed one woman near the Galle Face roundabout and the other at Kotahena. From one whom he killed he had robbed Rs 15000/-.The “Serial killer” had been taken to all the spots where he had made these killings. In all he had murdered ,15 beggars.
The investigations are not yet over and it is carried out under the leadership Sub Inspector of Police Tissa Sugathapala.