Mysterious death of Best Postmistress in the whole island ... trapped in the fire at Kurundugaha Hethepma

Mysterious death of Best Postmistress in the whole island ... trapped in the fire at Kurundugaha Hethepma

The sub-post office of Kurndugaha Hethepma in Elpitiya went up in flames last morning and as a result the Postmistress Mrs. Kanchamala de Silva lost her life. In fact she she was a Government Servant who claimed the Most Efficient Postmistress Award on five occasions.

Equally so she happens to be a businesswoman. Though she is expected to commence her duties at 8

in the morning, she as a habit would go to the post office to start her duties there at about 6 o'clock. A bookshop and a lottery agency is found near the post office. Those belonged to her and she runs them with the aid of some employees. Last morning (29) she has left for work and had as usual closed the door of the post office and had engaged in her work alone. There is no specific evidence of the moment the fire has broken out and in that instance the neighbourhood had come to know that a fire has broken out a while later from within the post office and had inquired about it.

Fire rescue operators on duty along Kurundugaha Hethepma Expressway have rushed to the spot and after extinguishing the fire have located the Sub-postmistress subjected to burned injuries; but even by the time she was admitted to Elpitiya Base Hospital she was already found dead, hospital sources say. Whether death was the result of setting up the place on fire or an electric leak is still not clear. All equipment in the post office had been caught in the fire and there had been some bundles of daily newspapers and documents relevant to the post office. There had also been some bundles of daily newspapers near her corpse and those were found partially burned. There had been a part of a bundle of morning newspapers distributed for sale at her bookshop.

Her home incidentally was approximately a kilometre away from the post office and her husband and 2 children were living there. Her shop which was popularly known as 'Thepal kadaya' was a place which was operated by employees directed by her and her husband with the latter being an employee at Ambalangoda Municipal Council. It is understood that newspapers, books and stationery were available there for sale. As work there was to begin at 8 in the morning, at the time the fire broke out nobody had been in attendance there.

What neighbouring shop owners said was that she used to manage her official duties and business activities all to herself and that she was a person who won the hearts of everyone. It is yet a mystery as to whether the said fire was caused by an electric leak, some other reason or was set on fire by somebody. Government Analyst reports were scrutinised yesterday and further investigations are being conducted by police.