Who is this only female of those facing death penalty ... Shyamali Perera?

Who is this only female of those facing death penalty ... Shyamali Perera?

Names of 18 drug kingpins sentenced to death penalty which is to be enforced once again was brought to the attention of the President some days back and incidentally the all eyes were focused on the name of a certain female in the list, resulting in a dialogue regarding it. Her name was stated as Shyamali Perera. Though the name of formed deputy inspector general of police, Vas

Gunawardena's wife's name caused a sensation in the country some years back happened to be the same, that Shyamali was however not this particular Shyamali referred to.

As reported, this person actually is a 'narcotics queen'. She has been baptised by the name 'Kudu regina' and has been sentenced to be hanged in 2011 and has been behind bars for the past 7 years. Her full name is Munasingha aarachchige Shyamali Perera. She is 48 years of age and is someone who directed the narcotics racket in Modera (Mutwal) - Mattakkuliya areas for quite some time in an organised manner. She is a mother of two children residing in Moya Road, Colombo 15 as documented. It was in 2004 that she was initially taken into custody by Modera police and it was for the offence of keeping 45 grammes and 300 milligrammes of heroin in her possession. Though remanded for that offence, after having been bailed out, she was then apprehended for the second time in 2010 and that time with 18 grammes and 500 milligrammes of heroin with her. The case in connection with this second incidents still being heard for 8 years in high court and she has been given the death sentence over the incident of 2004. That case was heard for 7 years and the death sentence was give as verdict on March 1st, 2011. Though she has been imprisoned from that point onwards for 8 years, she had carried on this trade from inside just as much as she was outside, it is reported.

A great number of accomplices have been connected to her heroin and gold jewellery network racket. It is understood that twelve stalwarts of underground have been serving under her. Among duties performed by them include getting down heroin and distributing them, getting gold across travelling bags of female domestic workers and later converting them into money and buying gold pawned and selling them at a higher price. It was revealed at police investigations that there are well-known shops in Chetty Street being buyers, having entered this network.

It was said that it was understood that Shyamali's accomplices would be getting remanded and knowing this she had continued to carry on this work without any fear. As she possessed the strategy of coming to their rescue in a short period of time, it is learned that problems were minimum. It was further reported that in instances when these accomplices were jailed, she had executed a methodology of providing separate facilities to maintain their families. Whenever a child in Moya Road area where she lives gets sick suddenly, it was in a three-wheeler belonging to one of Shyamali's accomplices that the child would be taken to the hospital or a private dispensary. She would be the person to foot the expenses for the coffin or the seven-day almsgiving in the case of a death.

Under the above altruistic circumstances she had had won the hearts of people in the area as a wealthy benefactor. When she was imprisoned in the year 2011, the villagers in her area had been sorrowful about it, it was reported. Though it was so, both her racket as well as the process of looking after the villagers nevertheless has continued. On the other hand she has been living behind bars not with any dislike. Though the name of Shyamali Perera heads the list of those going to gallows, she would also be recorded in history as the first woman in Sri Lanka to be hanged to death.