The Tangalle Police yesterday arrested a Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) candidate for the Tangalle Pradeshiya Sabha (PS) who stabbed and killed a female Agricultural Research Assistant Officer for failing to issue a letter for one of his friends working at the Hambantota Hospital to obtain free fertilizer issued by the Government to farmers.
The suspect is Jayawardene Pathiranage Sarath alias Danny Baby (41).
Police investigations have revealed that the suspect, who is a fisherman, has met the Agriculture Research Officer Deepashika Lakruwani Wijedasa (30) on several occasions asking for a letter to get free fertilizer.
Investigations have also revealed that she had told the suspect named Danny Baby several times that she cannot issue a letter stating that the hospital employee is not a farmer.
The Police also say that this person went to Netholpitiya Weli area where the officer resides on two occasions during the night of Sunday (26) and asked for the letter to get fertilizer. There she had told the suspect to come to her office the next day to discuss the matter.
Yesterday morning (27), when the agriculture officer was walking to the office with her Mother-In-Law, the suspect named Danny Baby had met her and stabbed her in the neck with a knife.
Police say that the suspect also slashed her neck several times after she fell down on the ground and was writhing in pain. The Police say that the suspect had remained near the victim after wielding the knife and threatening people who came to assist her.
The suspect had stabbed the victim from a distance of 150 metres from where she was residing in front of the suspect’s residence.
A Police officer of the Tangalle Division Criminal Investigation Bureau, who was leaving home for morning duty, tried to control the suspect, who was holding a bloody knife in his hand, but he also tried to stab that officer.
Meanwhile, two officers of the Traffic Department of the Tangalle Police who were travelling from this place on a motorbike saw a large gathering of people and inquired about it.
Having witnessed the murder there, with the help of the Divisional Criminal Investigation Bureau officer, they had arrested the suspect named Danny Baby after much effort.
The suspect is to be produced in Tangalle Court today (28). The Tangalle Magistrate had also visited the crime scene yesterday.
Meanwhile, the Mother-In-Law of the deceased Agricultural Research Assistant Officer told Police “when my daughter and I went to the road to catch the bus, Danny Baby was sitting on the culvert. He saw us and came forward. He came close to her and suddenly took a knife from his waist and stabbed her in the neck, then started slashing her face and everywhere. When I tried to stop it, he tried to stab me as well. My daughter was bleeding and fell on the ground. Danny Baby slashed her neck while she was on the ground. When he tried to stab me, I ran away”.