Youth who raped and killed garment-girl ....

Youth who raped and killed garment-girl ....

takes poison when nabbed by police

An 18 year old girl who had been returning home after work at a garment factory in Mahiyangana had been taken to a scrub jungle in Aluketiyawa,

Ridimaliyedda had been murdered after being sexually abused day-before-yesterday evening. The youth who was suspected over this murder had attempted suicide during a police round up, by taking poison.

The pair of slippers found at the spot where the girl was murdered was provided as a clue for the police dog as a trail for scent and yesterday the dog had made a bee line to a house in the village and accordingly the police had developed a suspicion about this youth. After this young man was suspected of having killed the girl after raping her he had left the area. This afternoon however the Mahiyangana Police and the villagers had got together and combed the forest in the area and was able to get at him. When he was cornered by the police he had been in the company of his present wife. The suspect having feared being taken into custody by the police had taken measures to make his wife take poison and commit suicide by taking poison himself in the process. However the police and the villagers promptly had taken the youth who was frothing from his mouth and had admitted him to hospital.

The suspect was a young man, 20 years of age and was the father of one child, having married previously. Having left his wife he had been spending his time in the company of a minor aged 15 years and it was to that very same girl that he had forced the poison. It had been reported to police that a case was presently being heard at Mahiyangana Courts for having got married to a girl who was a minor.

This youth had got round an 18 year old who had been returning home after her work at a garment factory in Mahiyangana and then had taken her to a scrub jungle area in Aluketiyawa in Ridimaliyedda and raped her. It was a girl by the name of Ramya Vidharshani Abeywardena of Wewattha area who had been so sexually abused and murdered. She had 3 months ago arrived at her mother's brother's home in Aluketiyawa, Ridimaliyedda from where she had been travelling to work at the garment factory. Day-before-yesterday she had not returned home that evening as usual after finishing work at the garment factory and it had prompted the household and villagers to search for her all over the area on which occasion her sexually abused corpse was found.

Both the suspect connected to the killing and his wife have been admitted to Mahiyangana Basic Hospital for treatment and the police are conducting further inquiries.