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CCTV evidence exposes everything ....Sri Lankans in jail over romance issue
It was confirmed yesterday that a Sri Lankan Sameera Baththalage who died of a fire last year in New Zealand had been murdered and the killing and the house that he lived which was supposed to have gone up in flames was the work of two of his own friends who too were Sri Lankans. The two of them were sentenced to jail by New Zealand courts for 24 years and 17 years. The deceased 28 year old Sameera had served at a dairy farm in New Zealand. He had been involved in a love affair with a girl from a cottage close to where he was living and which was close to his place of work. However, a third party coming into the scene had given rise to a conflict. Viraj Alahakoon, a 35 year old Sri Lankan who is alleged to have been involved with the same girl with whom Sameera was friendly had tried various means to break off Vajira's affair with her and at one time had kidnapped the girl by force and had even clipped off her long hair.
The murder had taken place on February, 2012. Viraj who had visited the home of Sameera who lived alone in a house adjoining the dairy farm in New Canterbury in New Zealand in the company of another Sri Lankan, a Muslim by the name of Tuan Saval. It has been revealed on police investigations that while Tuan had cut Sameera's throat with a sharp instrument, Viraj had been holding Sameera's head. Sameera had died on the spot.
In order to give the impression that this accident was a case of suicide, the two of them had set the house on fire by pouring petrol all over the house and had then fled. Though the two of them had done to look as if it was a case of suicide, their plans failed because of a cctv camera and the evidence provided by the girl whose hair was chopped off. Information revealed to the New Zealand police about these two individuals came from the cctv cameras set up in the dairy farm. This case was being inquired into by the Supreme Court in Christchurch, New Zealand from July and an attempt had been made to lead the court astray in the first hearing of the case with Viraj denying planning of the murder and pleaded not guilty; he further said that it was Tuan Saval who committed the murder. However, everything came to light because of the evidence provided by the girl whose hair was chopped off. Both Viraj and Tuan were sentenced to jail yesterday (6th).
The two who faced the jail term were Tuan Pravesh Saval (24) and Mudiyanselage Viraj Wasantha Alahakoon (35). It was reported that Viraj was the owner of a jewellery shop in New Zealand while Tuan was an accomplice of his.
Because of the evidence given by the girl who was supposed to be having an alliance with the deceased, to the effect that she was assaulted and her hair chopped off, Viraj Alahakoon was given a jail sentence of 24 years on two counts while Tuan was given a jail sentence of 17 years.
