A monk who went missing on Tuesday in the deep jungles of Ampara was found two days later by security personnel who were on a search operation but his true liberator was a bear, the shaken monk told The Sunday Times.
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| The monk receiving treatment at the Ampara Hospital ICU |
Rev. Sivuralamulle Dhammasiri Thera, now receiving treatment at the Ampara hospital ICU said he was returning from the Kudumbigala Aranya Senasanaya, a hermitage, about 120 miles away from his abode when he was accosted by an armed gang. The monks screams had alerted some people in the environs and soon a massive a search operation was launched in the vicinity of the sanyasanaya.
“I had taken alms to the monks at Kudumbigala and was returning when I was waylaid by armed terrorists. I was threatened and then dragged into the thick surrounding jungle,” the Ven. Thera said.
He said the men questioned him and inflicted cut injuries on him, before two of them dragged him to a spot where he thought he would be killed. However, at that moment a bear pounced on one of the kidnappers and the monk took the opportunity to flee, while the other kidnapper turned to help his friend.
On Thursday morning security men who were on a search operation came across the monk who was making his way out of the jungle. The monk was admitted to Panama hospital and later transferred to Ampara hospital as his condition was serious.
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| Cut injuries on the monk’s arm |
Search operations underway |
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