Lecturer’s death: Probe on phone calls

A mobile phone company was ordered to submit a detailed report of calls received / made from the mobile phone belonging to the Jaffna University Senior lecturer whose body was found washed ashore on the Bambalapitiya beach early this week. This directive was issued by the Colombo City Coroner Edward Ahangama at the inquest held on Friday. The reports are to be submitted at the next inquest which has been scheduled for October 21.

Jaffna University Senior lecturer and Mathematics chief examiner Ponnaiah Makinan (62), had come to Colombo to mark the GCE Advanced Level examination papers. He was staying at a lodge in Wellawatta. Several items belonging to Mr. Makinan including his mobile phone, bank cards, jewellery and money have been reported missing.

“I have requested Dialog Telekom to submit a detailed report of calls made and received to his mobile, since October 6, the day he was reported missing”, Mr. Ahangama said. “I have also ordered the relevant banks to submit reports of any transactions that had been done via his bank cards,” he said.

According to a statement made during the inquest by the lodge manager Selvadurai Ramanathan, Mr. Makinan had booked-in at the lodge on September 22. He was last seen on October 6, when he left the lodge at around 6 p.m. after informing the staff that he would be leaving for Jaffna the next day.

In an earlier statement, made by his wife Banitha Makinan, to the Coroner on October 10, it was stated that her husband had been unable to obtain accommodation at his usual lodging in Narahenpita. Her statement further read “I received a call from my husband at about 4 p.m. on October 6. However as I was busy, I promised to call him back later. At about 6.45 p.m. I received another call but this time the voice was feeble and the caller said ‘can you understand me’. I later tried dialing my husband’s mobile phone several times, but there was no response.” Mrs. Makinan later came to Colombo to identify her husband’s body.

Meanwhile, Colombo assistant Judicial Medical Officer Dr. K.E.S. Fernando who conducted the post-mortem examination is yet to submit a report on the cause of the death. Police spokesman DIG Jayantha Wickramaratne said that external injuries had not been discovered. However police are still conducting investigations.