SEVEN YEAR OLD PUSHPAKUMARA'S MURDER

Child Pushpakumara died because of parental neglect
Suspect had molested before this also

   It was reported last week of the unfortunate incident of a 7 year old school-child in Nilmalgodawatta, Kegalle who had been molested and subsequently murdered and left in an abandoned house.
   This serious situation has come to surface on investigations that are being conducted. It was revealed that the suspect has on a previous occasion too had molested the small child and the latter had informed his parents about it but the parents have not given due attention to the complaint. It is now also revealed that the attention that should be paid to one's children is lacking and which is one of the reasons for this untimely death. It is reported that on the previous occasion the child who was molested had come home crying and told the parents,"He removed my trouser and wanted to harass me." The child's father had lost his temper and had wanted to go and meet the person concerned when the mother had intervened and said "Nothing else has happened no ... don't go and fight!" That incident had taken place about 6 months ago.
    Pushpakumar, 7 years old was a student in Year 2 at Kegalla Valagamba Vidyalaya was abducted and he had been strangled with a neck-tie and thus violently murdered in Nilmalgoda area in Udakandrapona in Kegalle.

    It was found out by police investigations that the suspect who had retired from the Army was someone with distorted desires and was living close to the abandoned house where the student was murdered. It was reported that he had separated from his wife and children and was living alone.

   Latest reports on the investigations being conducted say that this person who had molested the deceased had for a period of about 2 years been used to offering various things like toffees, chocolates to children in the area and had thus tempted them while a number os children had been subjected to harassment by him. Pushpakumara's father was a postal employee while the mother was a garment-employee. The child also has an elder brother.

   The deceased was of the habit of coming to Nilmalgodawatta Junction in Udakarandupona from Kegalle in a three-wheeler after leaving school. In most instances the child would go home from that junction in the company of his father. On the afternoon on the day of the incident Pushpakumara had come to Nilmalgodawatta junction in the three-wheeler. As the father had not been at the place on that day, the child had set out to go home alone and it was revealed from investigations that it was on that occasion the child had been abducted.

   The elder brother had informed the father by phone the same day around 2 p.m. that younger brother had not turned up unlike on other days. Later the father on coming home had begun to make a search getting together the neighbours. They had searched till about 6 in the evening to no avail and coming across no clues. Subsequently the father had complained to the police about this. The Kegalle Police who got into action had begun a search for the missing child, with the aid of police dogs. The dogs who went behind the trail of the child had gone close to the abandoned house. On opening the door the police officers came across the dead body of the child.

   Dead Pushpakumara's schoolbag had been lying aside the house while the boy's clothing had been removed. It was revealed from primary investigations that the child's neck had been strangled with the very school tie that he had been wearing and murdered brutally. According to information so far uncovered by the police, 7 children who had been so  molested by the suspect have been found. The police have also found that, because of the suspect's behaviour, people in the area were somewhat frightened about such individuals and as a result many incidents of like nature have been buried.

   What the OIC of Kegalle Police Station says is that if parents having children such as this paid more attention to their children, an innocent life could have been saved from death.

   Further investigations regarding the suspect are being conducted.