Bandaragama Police SI murdered in house in midnight

Bandaragama Police SI .....

murdered in house in midnight!

Mr. Ruben Palihawadena  Officer-in-charge of the Court Direction Unit and Sub-inspector of Bandaragama Police was brutally hacked to death in his bed in his own home in Panadura

early last morning while sleeping. Mr. Palihawadena of 53 years of age who was subjected to murder was a father of 2 children. It is suspected that this crime had been committed with the motive of revenge.  Sub-inspector Mr. Palihawadena who was so killed had been in service as the Officer-in-charge of the Court Direction Unit of of Bandaragama Police for some years. He had been living in the house in Bekkegama area, Panadura with his wife and 2 children. He owned a shop in Bekkegama area and it was his wife who had been operating the shop.

Mr. Palihawadena who had come to the shop around 8.00 in the night after finishing his duties had checked the dealings in the establishment and had gone home at about 10.30 in the night. He had gone to sleep in a room on the top floor of the house alone while the wife and 2 children had slept in another room. He was someone who was accustomed to awake at 4.30 to report for duties. When the wife came at about 4.30 yesterday to wake him up she was to see her husband murdered. Later she had informed Panadura Police about this. The criminal had aimed a sharp instrument at his neck region and it is revealed from investigations that he would have died immediately from that attack.

The police also suspect that the murderer may have gained entry by opening the back-door. On using police dogs for examining, the police were able to come across a machete behind the house which is suspected as having been used for the murder. It has been revealed from inquiries that nothing valuable in the house has been removed by the killer. What is made clear is that the murderer had entered the house solely with the objective of murdering Mr. Palihawadena, police say. The 2 children of Mr. Palihawadena are both sons aged 11 and 13 years. He had been subjected to an attack by a group of people 10 years before this when he had been on duty at  a musical show held in Panadura. Police are checking as to whether there is any connection with the attack which took place 10 years before this.

There had been no information regarding the killer until last afternoon.

Hemantha Randunu, Saman Kariyawasam and Vijitha Liyanage