Negombo Principal bled himself to death - Updates

"I don't know whether I'll go on pension, or go to police ...."
Principal who committed suicide was frightened ....
 whether he would get trapped for misappropriation of school funds      

     Much information has been uncovered over the sudden death reported last week from St.Mary's College in Negombo last week. The 59 year old Principal Mr. Maxwell Donald Fernando had mentioned a few days prior to his death to some of his close friends that he was facing a problem in connection with closing the Account of the school.
 "I have to collect the month's pension  .... I don't know whether I have to take the pension or go to police", he had told his friends because he was entangled in a problem of having to settle the monies he had withdrawn from school funds for his personal use. He was expected to hand over the profit and loss account reports to the tax division of the Education office on 9th November when he would be retiring. If the accounts were not settled, he would somehow or other have to settle the monies and if it was revealed that a fraud had taken place, he was at a risk of punishment and the possibility that his pension too would be withheld.

     The police now are in doubt that this Principal had committed suicide under the above condition not because he has to leave his services and that it may have been because of the fear he entertained in becoming guilty of that offense.

     The dead body of the Principal of St. Mary's College, Negombo was found some days ago as having died mysteriously in his office toilet with cut injuries on his neck. He had been present in school at 6 in the morning that day and had even signed the attendance register. He had at about 7.15 that morning even tapped on the shoulder of an A/L student in the same school and also related to him saying "study well putha". This mysterious death was reported between 7.15 and 7.30 in the morning of that day. As the Vice-Principal was upset because the Principal who as a habit attended the assembly of the school was missing that morning and on searching for him had found the Principal fallen on the floor, bleeding in the toilet of the office. Though he was taken to the hospital with the support of others, he had by then succumbed to his injuries.

     It was mentioned at the inquest into the death of the Principal of St.Mary's College Mr. Maxwell who was due to profuse bleeding, it was revealed at the investigations that were conducted that the death was not caused by any outsider. It was reported that at the time he was found fallen inside the toilet that there were cut injuries on both his neck and a vital vein on his leg.

    A scissor used for cutting paper together with a knife stained with blood found in close proximity to the scene of the incident are suspected as tools used in this connection. It was found at the medical inquiry that prior to committing suicide and before cutting the vein in his leg he had tried to cut several places on the leg with the knife .... and because of the pain experienced the attempt had been given up and in any case they had been injuries of a negligible nature.

   Whatever it is, the police have still not arrived at a conclusion as to whether this is a case of suicide or not. A fingerprint has been called for to determine whether an outsider had gain entry into the bathroom through the door where the Principal was found dead. In the meantime, statements have been recorded from about 15 individuals regarding the incident.
                                                                   
   It was also revealed that the Principal had not talked with the driver when he was being rushed to hospital.

   Further investigations are being conducted by a special police team under the instructions of Mr. Jayantha Liyanage, Senior SSP in charge of Negombo.