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| Phantom of the dark
Is there an unknown hand behind these crimes that have terrorised villagers in the Kurunegala district or is it more a case of wild rumours and unwarranted fear? By
Chandani Kirinde, Shanika Udawatte and Natasha Fernandopulle Work in schools, offices and other government institutions including the Dambadeniya District Hospital have been crippled amidst rumours of mysterious, hooded men walking into houses, using a gas to drug the inmates and getting away with money and jewellery. The situation worsened about ten days ago after the reported rape of a 49-year-old woman in the village in the Dambadeniya electorate. (See box story). With the news of the rape, wild rumours have swept through several villages in the Giriulla, Allawwa and Narammala police areas and many of the villagers have sent their young daughters to stay with relatives and friends away from their hometown. The unusual incidents began about a month ago in Dambadeniya and soon spread to adjoining areas making it difficult for even the police to determine the validity of the incidents. Manike, who lives with her five-year-old son in Halpane says she had a visit from a mysterious intruder on Tuesday night. " I suddenly woke up and saw a torch light flashing from above. My screams alerted the neighbours and I managed to open the door and run out. Although the neighbours searched the house, they could not find anyone," a shaken Manike said. That night she stayed over at a neighbour's house but when she returned the next morning to her horror she found that her clothes had been pulled out of the cupboard and strewn on the floor. Since the incident she said most of the women in this close-knit village live in fear. "We are afraid to go out at night especially the women. Several of us get together and sleep in one house," she said. At the Dambadeniya District Hospital, work has been disrupted since the house of the dental surgeon was broken into on Tuesday. "We are finding it difficult to work in peace. Every time I sit down to see a patient, someone comes saying some burglary has taken place. It is very unsettling," the District Medical Officer (DMO) Kumari Alawala said. Since last week, some patients have refused to stay in hospital in fear of being robbed and even doctors are reluctant to do hospital night rounds or attend to emergency patients after dark. The absence of a police post at the hospital has made matters worse as anyone is free to walk into the hospital anytime without being checked. However police believe that the incidents have been blown out of proportion. Giriulla Sub Inspector W. D. C. Linton said in the past two weeks, they had recorded only five breakings and that the culprits would be arrested soon. This opinion was shared by the Chief priest of the historic Dambadeniya Raja Maha Viharayaya, Siriniwansa Thera who has been instrumental in organising people into civil defence committees with the assistance of the police. "There are several actual incidents taking place in a very organised manner but some mischief makers are using this opportunity to frighten the villagers as well," the Thera said. Narammala police crimes chief Kulatunga also believed that mischief makers were involved in spreading fear and chaos. "We have only three reported house breakings in the past two weeks. There was only one reported rape in the area but the story has spread from village to village that a large number of women have been raped. People have been gripped by fear and they have taken the law into their hands," he said. He said about
25 people had been taken in for questioning but they had been released
as there was no proof to connect them with any of the reported crimes. They said most of the men at nightfall stood guard by the road sides armed with machetes, laying roadblocks, searching vehicles and in some instances beating up innocent men mistaking them for robbers or rapists. What has added a cloak of mystery to all the house breakings in the Giriulla police area, is that the robbers had entered the homes by forcing open a window while the occupants were sleeping but none had woken up until the intruders had got away with whatever valuables they found. This has given rise to the rumour that some kind of gas had been used to drug the residents. Some said they got a smell like that of incense sticks being burnt, while others said they felt the presence of intruders in their homes but were too drowsy to get up. However, these claims have been dismissed by police and other government officials in the area who say there has been no proof to show that gas had been used. "If the culprits used gas they would have had to protect themselves with gas masks. It's hard to believe that these robbers were that sophisticated," the Grama Seveka of Delikonnanga, Tikiri Bandara said. Many villagers feel the lack of streetlights have contributed to the situation and have urged the authorities to take action. They also say foot patrols by police in civvies may help shed light on the identity of the robbers. Some villagers
suspect there could be some political link to create unrest among
the people while others believe that drug dealers and kasippu vendors
may be involved. That's a question the authorities will have to answer if they want the people to have faith in the law enforcement authorities to provide them with the most basic right of being able to sleep in their own homes without fear. Whodunnit? Police and relatives of the rape victim said that what was bizarre was that the woman had not been aware that she had been raped until the next morning. She had reportedly told police that she was vaguely aware that there was a man on her bed but she had assumed that it was her husband. She said that she had been semi conscious and believed that some chemical had been used to sedate her, her husband and son who was sleeping in the adjoining room. Evidence had shown that the intruder or intruders had entered through a window and had robbed jewellery and some cash from the house. The clothes of the inmates had also been found scattered in the garden. Giriulla police said that a medical examination had confirmed that the victim had been raped. However they said the bizarre nature of the incident made it difficult to track down the culprits. More
men , more vehicles Kuliyapitiya Division Senior Superintendent M. K. Sugathadasa told The Sunday Times that eight jeeps had been sent to the affected areas to be used for night patrols and that an additional strength of 60 policemen had been deployed. "We have selected people from each village to form Civil Defence Committees. These men and the Grama Niladharis will be allowed to join the police officers on night foot patrols. We have strictly advised villagers who are not in the Civil Defence Committees to refrain from going on foot patrols, as this would cause unwanted problems," he said. "District Information Bureau officers as well as officers from the intelligence units of the division have been sent in civvies to the area to look for any clues that would hep to catch the culprits. We have got several leads on the suspects who were involved in the house breakins incidents," Mr. Sugathadasa said. |
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