Husband poured petrol on wife's body and set her on fire

A forty-year-old mother of four, Rinosh Umma, residing in Godigamuwa Muslim village, which falls under the Medagama police division, was murdered yesterday (07) morning. She succumbed to her injuries upon admission to Bibila Base Hospital after her husband poured petrol on her body and set her on fire.

After having dinner with family members, the couple went to sleep in one room, and the children in another. Later, in the early hours of the morning, the children saw a fire erupting from the room where their mother and father were sleeping. They immediately acted, opened the door, and looked inside. Seeing their mother engulfed in flames, they made a strenuous effort to extinguish the fire and immediately took steps to hospitalize her. However, the woman, who had sustained severe burn injuries, passed away after being admitted to the hospital.

Police state that the deceased woman's husband, who is the main suspect in this tragedy, has already fled the area and is in hiding. Security forces suspect that this crime may have occurred due to a heated argument between him, a businessman who runs a chicken meat stall, and his wife, which escalated.

Arrangements were made to conduct the magisterial inquiry and the post-mortem examination related to the incident yesterday (07) at Bibila Base Hospital. Extensive investigations are currently underway, led by Medagama Police Station OIC Mr. Prabath Dissanayake, to apprehend the absconding suspect husband.