MISSING MATARA LADY DOCTOR FOUND THROUGH HER DIARY NOTES

Secrets of her disappearance found from her personal diary left at her quarters:

There was a tremendous interest and also an uproar that erupted amongst the people when the news broke out that a lady doctor attached to the Matara hospital had disappeared while she was driving to her home in Hikkaduwa from Matara. She, doctor Erandi kulatunga was returning from her work place at Matara hospital on Friday 23rd evening. This news was publicised in the print and electronic media, which arose a lot of public interest. All had thought that the lady doctor may have been kidnapped.
However through extensive Police investigations she was found unharmed after a few days at a gust house in Anuradhapura. She was doctor qualified in Anaesthetics while her husband was also a doctor was attached to the military hospital ranked as an Army Major. The finding of the lady doctor was less important compared to the conflict that was revealed through intelligent investigations of the Police Investigating teams who were able to go deep into the secret of her disappearance. This is a more painful story.
The story that her husband related about the fact that she had got stuck in traffic jam at Hikkaduwa is all incorrect information, which he had been known through a telephone call. Later it had revealed that the Major Doctor has had a long telephone conversation for over 20 minutes with regard to a huge conflict between them it had revealed. Initially the correct story had not been unearthed, but when the lady Police Inspector perused the lady doctor’s diary correct details were revealed.
How the ‘Rivira’ newspaper journalist had related the entire story of her disappearance is described below:
The disappearance of the lady doctor while she was driving home to Hikkaduwa from the Matara hospital made a huge uproar in the country. Four Police squads were deployed to locate her. Everyone thought she was abducted .On Friday the 23rd she had taken her last call from her mobile phone at 6.50 p.m. That was to her husband also a doctor attached to the Army hospital ranked as a Major.
The Major had complained to the Hikkaduwa Police station that she had not returned home after she had called him at 6.50 p.m.” there is a heavy traffic jam at Hikkaduwa, hence I may get late to reach home” is what the Major had mentioned in his complaint. That was the last call she had given. After which she had switched off her ‘mobile’.
The Police had suspected initially that she may have been abducted on her way driving from Matara to Galle. The Police headquarters had sent messages to all Police stations to stay alert. The Senior Superintendent of Police Deshabandu Tennakoon was entrusted to shoulder the major responsibility. He in turn had entrusted the responsibility to the Woman Police Inspector Waruni Bogahawatta of the Child and Women’s Protection Authority to commence investigations on the 24th morning itself.
The woman Inspector of Police Waruni Bogahawatta and her team had first come to the lady doctor’s parent’s house in Nagoda. After obtaining certain information they had proceeded to meet her best friend also a lady doctor .She had related the grievances she was undergoing and had disclosed all what she knew. These were all very vital for the remainder of the investigations. Thereafter they had proceeded to Matara hospital. They had gone and checked her quarters. There they had found her personal diary and some letters which were vital for the investigations. From the notes found in her personal diary it had revealed that she lived in sheer frustration about her family life. It had revealed that her Major husband Doctor has had a an illegal love affair with one his batch mates also a medical officer attached to the Army.
When the love affair was made known to the legal wife the lady doctor in the Army who was having a love affair with the major doctor had tried to commit suicide by taking tranquilizing tablets. She had not died but had been hospitalised and had got recovered and had left the hospital on the 22nd, the Police had revealed this information. This information had led Doctor Erandi Kulatunga to be in a tremendous pain of mind. She had stated in her diary she did not want to divulge this information to his innocent parents as they would get unnecessarily worried. For this reason the investigators had thought that Doctor Erandi to be person with a lot of patience, tolerance and a very intelligent and brainy lady.
“ I want to die, yet I do not want to suffer and die’ were notes found in her personal diary. This had been written in English by her in her diary. She had drawn her picture with a pencil in her diary with tears falling down from her eyes. She has also revealed that she is very worried and under tremendous mental stress. The woman Police Inspector had come to a conclusion that the reason for her disappearance was this.
She had told the Senior Superintendent of Police Deshabandu Tennakoon that this disappearance cannot be an ‘ abduction’ The lady doctor had been living in sheer frustration. The SSP had given her the green light to go ahead in the investigations she had commenced. Afterwards the Investigating team had gone on the 24th night at 1 A.M to meet the Major at Hikkaduwa. The major when questioned had evaded in giving straight forward answers, perhaps as he was guilty. He knew that a lot of information had been already found. He had said that after speaking to her for about 5 minutes nothing was heard an ‘mobile’ was switched off .In contrary the conversation was found to have been for a period of more than 20 minutes. It had been over some conflict the investigators had believed. The Investigators were able to prove it beyond any doubt.
The investigators had found that the Major had received a number of calls earlier from the same ‘mobile’ number of another person. The Police Investigation team had invited the major to come along with them in finding his wife. He was not showing interest to this request. He had confesses that the two have had no conflicts and were very happy as a couple. But he said that his wife had been suspecting him of something. Although he himself had made the entry in the Police station it is surprising that he was not that interested in pursuing the matter which should have been his priority.
Information had been received that the lady doctor had entered into the Southern express highway from the Baddegama entrance point. When they had checked they had got confirmation that she had enters the entrance point at 12.30 P.M on that particular day. To give this information the Police investigating team had gone to the Hikkaduwa home. The major husband had been faster asleep while his wife had disappeared. The Woman police inspector had suspected that she may have gone to the Dalada Maligawa to worship or to the Sri Maha Bodhiya in Anuradhapura. They have not got any information from the Dalada Maligawa area. On the 25th according to signals in her phone the Police Investigators have come to know that she is around Anuradhapura. Once more a request was made to the major to come along to Anuradhapura in search of his wife he had not been interested. During this period there was wide publicity in the media about her disappearance.
The Assistant Manager of the Anuradhapura Rathnamali Guest house suspecting that a guest who had booked in is this lady doctor had informed the Anuradhapura police authorities. She had taken the roo for two days paying a sum of Rs 4930/- On the 26th morning while washing her face someone had knocked on her room door. When she opened the door she was shocked to see the Police personnel outside her room. When her identity card was perused it had revealed that she had been born in Nigeria.
She had without any fear answered to all questions that were posed to her. She had said she had come on a pilgrimage to Anuradhapura. She had booked in at this Rathnamali Guest house as it is a safe place as she had come and stayed there about a month ago also. She had been ordered for a medical inspection by the Police. The Judiciary Medical Officer at the Anuradhapura hospital Dr Dhananjaya Waidyaratna had conducted the medical investigation and had submitted a report. With this report the Woman Police Inspector Waruni Bogahawatta and her investigation team had returned to Galle with the lady doctor.
The lady doctor Erandi Kulatunga after her telephone conversation with her husband had come along the Southern Express Highway. Having entered from the Baddegama entry point and had made her exit from Kottawa and travelled through Avissawela to Kegalle and had travelled to Dalada Maligawa in Kandy. She had arrived at kandy at 1.00 A.m. and had slept in her vehicle until 4.00 A.M and had made inquiries from a Police constable the way to Anuradhapura.
She had reached Anuradhapura at 7.00 A.M and booked in at the Rathnamali guest house. She had visited to worship the Sri Maha Bodhiya twice. She had consumed a rice meal only once and had been living eating grapes, chocolates and sweets. She had been worrying over her problems on her own.
When she was brought to Galle and informed her husband he had not come to receive her. The Police personnel had decided to go and hand over to her parents in Nagoda. She was a very kind hearted unassuming lady. She had not disclosed anything about her husband’s faults to the Police. She was wondering how the Police had disclosed facts of her personal life. The story of her disappearance which was a huge uproar in the country unfolded in this manner. The two had married after a love affair they have had while at the Medical College. The efforts of the Police prevented a loss of a life of this innocent lady doctor for which the investigating team should be hailed and applauded.
Newspaper article by Ravindra Perera