How Niluka with one child in Unawatuna was murdered on a contract of 23 lakhs with words: "This woman is a nuisance!"

How Niluka with one child in Unawatuna was murdered on a contract of 23 lakhs with words: "This woman is a nuisance!"

Kankanamge Niluka Chamali is a mother of one child. She maintained a hotel in Yaddehimulla in Yakkala. On a family dispute, her husband has separated from Niluka and is in a different country. She in fact has not maintained good relationships with her husband. The husband incidentally filed legal action to separate from her and a divorce case has been filed in court which incidentally is in progress. Apart from that, there had been conflicts between the two of them concerning lands and properties and some cases had been in progress in court.The lot of land where the tourist guest house
at Unawatuna had been bought by her husband. Niluka's only son is of a tender age of seven years. Niluka was attending to her business while caring for her son. 

The date was last 9th and Unawatuna tourist arena were beginning to gradually wake up when the sun was setting on the western horizon. Thus when dusk was settling in Unawatuna began to liven up with electric bulbs, music and tasty dishes around, In short ... Unawatuna is in reality a sleepless tourist zone. Some hotels and guest houses for that matter are open till midnight. What could be seen at night-time in Unawatuna tourist zone during night hours is actually a hub of activity. Even tourists are observed moving here and there on foot in the dark and enjoying the charm of the night. 

The time was drawing towards midnight and Niluka was inside the hotel restaurant close to the mother. All of a sudden two unknown persons came on a motor-bike ... and fled after gunninh her down. After this horrified incident of murder of the hotel owner, the entire Unawatuna tourist zone became enveloped with terror and fright. Some began to say that the underworld has stepped into the domain of Unawatuna tourist zone. Whatever it was, officer in charge of Habaraduwa police, police inspector Mr. K.K.Priyantha Udaya Kumara hastened to the spot of the crime and commenced inquiries. 

Even prior to this, it was reported to police about a conspiracy to murder Niluka Chamali. The husband of this lady was stationed in Italy. It was to a woman in Hikkaduwa that a contract was given to murder her by Niluka's husband who was abroad and that was in June last year ... for a contract of Rs. 30 lakhs. It was revealed to police that the husband was planning to remove Niluka from this location and take the property into his own hands. 

Subsequent to the murder, Habaraduwa officer in charge, Priyantha Udayakumara and other police officers launched a wide-scaled investigation to corner the suspects involved. On the occasion when the hotel owner was murdered, the two employees who were on duty at the hotel beat a retreat. These two employees were summoned to police and interrogated. The hotel owner's small son also was brought to police for the purpose of the child's safety. "Aney police maame, these maamala were with our mother. Catch the horu maamala and put them into the kooduwa", the small son said. These words of this small child sent streaks of lightening across his heart. The officer in charge then made it a point to corner the criminals connected to the murder to render justice to this small son who was among the living. 

The police officer in charge and the team of officers initially brought video footage in CCTV cameras at the location of the crime and checked. However the scenes actually were not that clear. The police officer in charge received information that a car had been moving about at the time of the crime. Subsequently, the police officer in charge launched investigations across this information. For inspection purposes, GPS technology as well as telephone analysis reports were utilised. 

The hotel owner was killed last 9th, exactly at 11.46 in the night. The police OIC observed that the said car had left along the road across the spot of the crime. OIC Mr. Priyantha Udayakumara then realised that investigations regarding this car should begin in order to corner the murderers linked to the murder. The police OIC managed to get at the number in the number-plate of the car and he began inquiries across that data. The car concerned had been hired from a place where cars are rented out in Ambalangoda area, the police came to know. The said vehicle was taken into custody from that place. The next investigations centred on the people who rented out the car. Police OIC Mr. Priyantha Udayakumara and his team-mates were able to arrest the suspect who undertook the contract to murder the hotel owner. He in fact was a resident of Ambalangoda. 

Police OIC, Priyantha Udayakumara then interrogated the suspect continuously about the murder concerned.In the end, he began to vomit everything in the presence of police. It is in that manner that the beginning and end of the gruesome murder came to light. A sum of Rs. 23 lakhs had been promised the suspect to carry out the act of murdering the hotel owner by her husband who is overseas. This husband stationed abroad has said, "This woman is a nuisance to me ... finish her off!" ... and thus handed over the contract. 

In this manner, a sum of Rs. 30 lakhs was offered as a contract to to dismiss the victim in the month of June last year by Niluka's husband. However, the attempt had failed on that occasion. This time, the suspect who obtained the contract to kill the hotel owner had planned it out from some months back. For this purpose he has secured the assistance of two other individuals living in Ambalangoda. They had in fact been taking photographs around the hotel ... moving about the hotel while also securing information about the hotel owner and had forward them to the husband overseas across IMO technology. In such instances, cash to the value of Rs. fifteen thousand, twenty thousand to their account was credited as their expenses. They had been playing this game for some days. "That won't do ... finish off that woman as soon as possible!" the hotel owner's husband living abroad has remarked. 

After that, the suspect who secured the contract then engaged two persons living in Avissawella area. One of them was married to a woman in Avissawella. He in fact was a police constable who has left the police special task force. He was someone who has studied upto GCE advanced level in the commercial stream. He had begun his schooling at a well-known school in Ambalangoda area. Apart from that, this person is someone who has even donated his kidney to a person for Rs. 10 lakhs. 

The other person happens to be someone who is enlisted to seize leasing vehicles. The two of them who had become burdened with debts and cramped with various other problems thus had agreed to put an end to the hotel owner's life. What both of them wanted was to murder the hotel owner as soon as possible and grasp the promised sum of money. In this manner the soldier who had left his services with the special task force had come to Unawatuna area and had lodged at a room and managed to secure information pertaining to the deceased hotel owner. He in the meantime planned out the steps necessary for the murder. 

As such, since there was a court case regarding the divorce of the hotel owner at Matara court on 18th December last, she had set off to Matara in a three wheeler. That day, a group of people accompanying the police constable who had left the special task force had pursued the three wheeler in which the hotel owner travelled, in a car; but their attempt had come to nought that particular day. Subsequently, they had replanned the attempt once more. For this purpose, they had bought a scooter type motor bike by paying Rs. 1,10,100 for this motive. Later, this former soldier of special task force together with his colleague, the person who seizes leasing vehicles arrived at Ambalangoda on the motor bike last 9th. The suspect who undertook the contract handed over a machete and a locally manufactured forearm to the two of them. Both of them then set off to Unawatuna on the motor bike. There were four persons in inside the car and they had provided protection to the two criminals who were riding the motor bike. 

Subsequently, they had been having some beer and later resumed the journey. The two who came on the motor bike then entered the hotel owner's hotel on 9th night. Thoe in the car had been moving here and there along Welladevola Road. The motive of the murderers was to gun down the hotel owner and then flee. But at that moment the hotel owner was cuddling her small child. First of all, the former soldier of special task force grabbed the small child from his hand and took the boy into his custody. Just then the hotel owner collapsed on the floor. Only a split second passed. The other person then dealt a blow with the machete so that the hotel owner's neck was severed into two. What happened next was that the former soldier of the special task force aimed a gun shot at the hotel owner after which both of them had got on to the motor bike and beat a retreat. Subsequently, both of them had approached the car. The machete and the firearm was dumped into the car. After all this, both suspects left the motor bike in Karapitiya area and had got into the car. Later, steps were taken to drop them at Avissawella. 

Five suspects connected to the murder of hotel owner were taken into police custody. Of those so arrested ... there was a son of a retired army major, police say. The machete used in the killing, the locally manufactured firearm and the car that came for protection for the assailants were taken into police custody. Police were able to find the machete inside a dirty canal in Ambalangoda area while the locally manufactured firearm was found in a shrub jungle in Ambalangoda. 

The two suspects who were involved in the murder of the hotel owner had been compensated for their effort with a payment of Rs. 10 lakhs while the other three suspects were given Rs. 13 lakhs in cash, it was revealed at investigations. It was also revealed that after the hotel owner was murdered, that money was credited to their accounts in Euro currency by the husband overseas, it was revealed a investigations. The money transaction had been finalised at a super market complex in Colombo. The police were able to find Rs. one lakh fifty thousand in possession of the murderers. It was also revealed at investigations that the said funds were expended by the suspects for gambling in cards, to associate women and to settle monetary dues. 

Whatever it is, OIC of Habaraduwa police, Mr. K.K. Priyantha Udayakumar and other officers were successful in cornering the killers within the space of 13 days after the hotel owner was killed. No one can stay in hiding any day after committing a crime. The suspects were taken into custody by officer in charge of of Habaraduwa police, K.K. Priyantha Udayakumara, sub inspector, Bandara, police sergeant, Mendis (26618), police constable, Wimal (3212), police sergeant, Piyasiri (24447), police sergeant, Sujeewa (45375), police constable, Prabod (82602), police sergeant, Kirthi (72517), police constable, Madanayaka (87172), police constable Warawita (89451 and police constable Janith ((87641) under the supervision ad instructions of deputy inspector general of police in charge of Galle district, Mr. A.G.J. Chandra Kumara, senior police superintendent of Galle, Mr. Vikum Ginige, assistant superintendent of police 4 Mr. Udaya Kumara. 

- Lalith Chaminda -