Quintuple murder in Anuradhapura

I wanted money .... I killed all five of them

     A tragic incident where 5 persons were killed brutally day-before-yesterday was reported from Anuradhapura Viharahalmillakulama area in the early hours of the morning, having been chopped with a machete.

    The victims in this case were, the houseowner's wife, son, daughter and the wife's elder sister and the latter's son called Priyantha who had come there as visitors. Though the assailant had fled thinking that the houseowner had died in this assault, he was found with fatal injuries.

   The Anuradhapura police had further regarding this incident and it is understood that the elder sister of the houseowner's wife had come to this house over a matter concerning the purchase of a new land and had brought a lorry-load of goods in addition to three and a half lakhs of money. It was revealed that a person who came in their company who had an intention of robbing them of this cash which was in the possession of the elder sister of the houseowner's wife had committed the murder.

   It was reported that the suspect was an intimate friend of the aforementioned Priyantha. The murderer happened to be the person who had brought the lorry-load of household articles in the company of Priyantha and his mother. The suspect, 30 year old Jagath Kumara who joined the 10th Gemunu battalion in the army had served the army for a period of 3 years; but 6 years before this he had deserted the army. He was a resident of Laggala area in Matale and had worked in Hasalaka as a helper in the lorry.

   Confessing to the police, this is how he unravelled the manner in which he committed this murder: "Priyantha and his mother came to buy a land from Anuradhapura. They were discussing about it from the time they were coming from Mahiyanganaya. I came to know that they had lakhs of money with them.

   A few of us got together and had a boozing session that night. But I only took a little, unknown to the others. After the drinking session was over, everybody went to sleep. I had a great desire to rob this money. As such, I decided to kill everyone and to take the cash and run away. I thought that I'd take the money by hook or by crook. Early morning that day at about 2 'clock I got up and was searching for the money, walking about in the house when the woman in the house got up. Because I couldn't do anything ... what I did was take the machete that was there in the kitchen and began to chop her with it. And then others in the house got up.I knew that under the circumstances I won't be able to take the money on the sly. After that I started chopping Priyantha with the same machete over and over again. After that I attacked Priyantha's mother, Premawathi. I attacked Sumith Udayanga also with the macete ... but because I felt that he was still alive, I gave a blow to his head with the shovel. And then when I was trying to scoot off ... Premasiri who has now received fatal injuries pulled me by my leg. I kept on dealing him blows continuously. After that I chopped Thakshila who was sleeping in the hall. Then I took the 2 lakhs and 70,000 which was in the house ... I hid the machete in the back of the house. I then removed and washed my blood-stained clothes and by about 4 o'clock in the morning I took the ladies bike parked in the house and went to the Kolakenda kiosk at the railway level-crossing at Dahayayagama junction in Anuradhapura. Then it was around 5 in the morning. I told the kade akka there to hand it over to the owner who comes there. I then got into a three-wheeler and came to the Ayurveda New Town bus-halt. Having come there, I got into a Vavuniya bus and got off at Rambewa and went to Dambulla. I then got into a bus from Dambulla and got off at Hettipola. Having got off there, I bought 2 pounds worth of gold from Hettipola. I bought a bracelet, a ring and a chain and got into a bus and went to Hasalaka.

   After that I was taken into custody by Hasalaka police. I'm not married ... I am friendly with a girl in Hasalaka. I did these things to recover my three-wheeler. When my three-wheeler was taken in by the police, it was my friend Priyantha who helped bail me out and whom I killed"

   Since the murderer had thought that when he committed the crime, everybody had died and that he would never be convicted of this crime. As such, he never knew that the chief occupant of the house, Mr.Piyadasa who is under treatment at the ICU in Anuradhapura Base Hospital would still be among the living.

   During the process when a special team of policemen were engaged in investigations over this quintuplet murder, several clues began to emerge in the form of evidence about those visitors who stayed back in the house that day. Information was received that the suspect had a traffic case against him at the Bakamuna police and through that information, it was possible to track his address at Hasalaka. On this information it was not difficult for the police to get at the suspect, after having surrounded the Hasalaka area.  

   Whatever it is, because of the suspect Jagath Kumara leading the police astray at the beginning, they had to take several other persons too into custody. What the suspect initially said was that the murder was committed by the younger brother of the two deceased females and also the person who was to sell the land concerned; while it was he did the spying at the time they committed the murder. He further coined a lie that the three of them shared the sum of about 6 lakhs among them. As such, the brother of the 2 deceased women as well as the person who was to sell the land was taken into police custody. However, the police were unable to extract any possible information about the murder.It was after that, that the police turned their attention on the suspect. He was taken to Anuradhapura and after a lengthy interrogation, he began to spill every bit of information regarding how he committed the murder.

   The police were able to find the bike which he used to escape after the crime and they were able to find some blood stains too on it.

   Among the deceased in this tragedy were the 5 persons, Premadasage Indumathi Shriyani (45), K.A. Sumith Udaya Kumara (23), K.A. Thakshila Kumudu Kumari (13), all residents of Viharapalugama, Viharahalmillakulama and Premadasage Premawathi (46) and Rajapakshage Priyantha (25) who are residents of Mahiyanganaya, Kotiyapola. The police say that they are kith and kin of the same family and K.A. Piyadasa (47), husband of deceased Mrs.Indumathi Shriyani is still undergoing treatment in a very serious condition at the ICU at Kurunegala Base Hospital. 

   Further legal steps are to be taken with regard to the suspect. What people in Anuradhapura Viharahalmillakulama ask is as to why the hanging procedure is brought into effect in killings such as this.