Investigation into the sudden death of the husband remanded for acid attack on his wife

The death of the detainee, who suddenly died while in remand custody on charges of an acid attack on his wife's face, has been revealed by the post-mortem examination to be a homicide caused by a blunt force trauma, not a natural death. According to the post-mortem report conducted by Dr. Ruchira Nadeera, Specialist Judicial Medical Officer at Kegalle General Hospital, the cause of death was internal bleeding and lung contusion due to injuries to the left shoulder of the body caused by blunt force.

With this medical conclusion, the police have launched a special investigation into this death.

The person who unfortunately lost his life is Rathuwaduge Upali Ranaweera, a 56-year-old father of four, residing in Beligala, Wadukanda area, which falls under the Dedigama Police Division. His father, who owns considerable property, is a school principal, and his mother is a housewife. He was married to a woman from the Alawwa Maharachchimulla area and has three sons and one daughter. While the elder children are employed, the two younger children are still pursuing their education.

It is said that the deceased, who had been heavily addicted to alcohol for some time, had previously stabbed and injured his wife on another occasion. Due to these family disputes, while his wife, three children, and elderly mother lived in the main house, he lived alone in a small, half-finished house located below it. It was against this backdrop that the acid attack on his wife occurred on the evening of the 3rd. The wife, who was injured in the attack, has since received treatment and been discharged from the hospital.

The suspect, who was arrested after surrendering to the Dedigama Police on the 5th regarding the acid attack, was produced before the Warakapola Thulhiriya Magistrate's Court on the same day and ordered to be remanded until January 8th. Due to a sudden illness that occurred that night, the suspect was admitted to the prison hospital and had already passed away by the time he was taken to Kegalle General Hospital for further treatment on the morning of the following day (6th).

After the Kegalle Police reported the facts regarding the suspect's death to the court, Acting Magistrate Nishanthi Abeyratne inspected the body and conducted the preliminary magisterial inquiry. With the revelation that the death was a homicide, a team of officers from the Criminal Investigation Division and Scene of Crime Officers (SOCO), under the guidance of senior police officers from Kegalle, entered the prison and conducted a comprehensive investigation. Further reports regarding the incident are scheduled to be presented to the court on the 19th, and the final rites for the body have been carried out by the family relatives.