In the 1970s the Russel Ingram and Eunice Peiris murder cases shook Sri Lanka to its core. The main suspect, Father Mathew Peiris an Anglican priest was found guilty of using an overdose of insulin to murder his wife Eunice Peiris and Russel Ingram whose wife Darlene Ingram he was having an affair with.
The film According to Matthew by Chandran Ratnam was based on this riveting tale. Now over 45 years later Dr Adam Bawa Mohamed Shifan, a resident of Layards Road, Bambalapitiya is accused of attempting to murder his wife, Ruzeika Faris in a similar manner. Ruzeika, currently in a coma, continues to receive treatment at the ICU of the Colombo South Teaching Hospital.
Shifan who was arrested by the Police said he and his wife decided to commit suicide as she had failed to bear children after five years of marriage, causing them to suffer severe mental distress. He told the Police he injected Ruzeika with an overdose of insulin with her consent resulting in her slipping into a coma. Despite agreeing to kill himself along with his wife, the doctor now said he failed to inject himself with insulin as he was afraid of dying. However, with Ruzeika still in a coma, the truth remains elusive.
According to sources, 30-year-old Dr Shifan and his wife 25-year-old Ruzeika both hailed from Kattankudy.
Her father is said to be a wealthy businessman in the town. In comparison, Dr Shifan came from more humble beginnings. Dr Shifan’s father before his untimely demise is said to have owned a wholesale shop in Pettah many years ago.
Marriage
Dr Shifhan and Ruzeika had married five years ago through a proposal. At the time Shifan was still in training before commencing his career as a Gynaecologist at the Trincomalee Base Hospital a year later. The couple lived in a house on Layards Road in Bambalapitiya which was bought for them by Ruzeika’s father. After being posted to Trincomalee, Shifan had only visited their home once in two or three weeks. Ruzeika’s siblings Ruzein and Ruzeima lived in the house together with the couple while her father also visited them occasionally.
While Ruzeika is said to have been upset over not having children, it is unknown if the couple sought any medical help regarding the issue. To divert her focus, Ruzeika is even said to have commenced studying for a master’s degree. However, Shifan told the police this was not a fix and his absence had only added to Ruzeika’s stress.
According to him Ruzeika had expressed her desire to commit suicide as a result of this. Intending to pacify his wife, Shifan said he had returned to Colombo to spend a few days with her. However, things had taken a turn for the worse instead.
On April 24, Shifan had run into his sister-in-law Ruzeima’s room around 8.00 a.m. saying his wife was unconscious. Ruzeima had found her sister in bed and tried to revive her. According to the Police, Shifan had appeared concerned, but made no attempt to take his wife to the hospital. Ruzeima had then called their older sister living in Wellawatte who had later arrived with her husband. The duo along with Shifan had then taken Ruzeika to the Colombo South Teaching Hospital.
Fighting for her life
Doctors at the hospital found that Ruzeika was already in a coma and fighting for her life. She was admitted to the ICU where she continues to receive treatment to this day. While her condition left doctors perplexed, tests revealed that there was an unusual increase of potassium in her body which in turn signalled an insulin overdose. A doctor examining her later found a spot on her right hand where it appeared she had been injected with something. Her brother Ruzein had overheard this doctor questioning Shifan about this three days after Ruzeika was admitted to hospital.
However, Shifan said Ruzeika appeared fine when he went to bed around 2 a.m. and only discovered she was unconscious at around 8 a.m. However, he refused to reveal more information and appeared to be in shock over his wife’s state.
But his behaviour raised Ruzein’s suspicions. Calling his sister Ruzeima who was still at the Layards Road residence, Ruzein instructed her to go through the couple’s room and belongings. Acting according to her brother’s instructions Ruzeima had discovered a syringe along with a half-used insulin syringe while going through the couple’s wardrobe. The items were found in a bag belonging to Shifan.
Ruzeima had immediately handed over the items to their father and also recalled how Shifan had failed to take Ruzeika to the hospital and even told her Ruzeika had died when she asked him what was wrong with her sister as Ruzeika was lying motionless in bed.
CCTV footage
On his return from hospital, Ruzein had inspected the home’s CCTV footage as he recalled seeing Shifan up and around 6.40 a.m. despite him claiming he woke up only around 8 a.m. on that fateful day. The CCTV footage proves him right and Ruzein notices Shifan discarding something in a trash bin around 6.40 a.m. With proof in hand, Ruzeika’s father then questions Shifan on the events that transpired on April 24.
However, Shifan feigns ignorance at first only to later confess to his father-in-law that he injected her with insulin. Shifan told him that the couple agreed to commit suicide as they had no children and were under immense pressure due to the reason. However, he said that he injected the wife with insulin and she soon fell into a coma, he failed to do the same to himself as he felt afraid. The family on this confession and along with evidence had then lodged a complaint with the Bambalapitiya police leading to the doctor’s eventual arrest on 30 April.