Lankan national charged with wife’s murder in Singapore

A 30-year-old Sri Lankan national has been charged with the murder of his wife after her body was found at a hotel in Katong, Singapore, Channel New Asia (CNA) reported.

Although details pertaining to the manner in which the alleged act was committed are yet to be disclosed, Eshan Tharaka Koottage was charged with the murder of his wife by a Singaporean court on Monday (11 Sep.).

Koottage is believed to have murdered his wife, Diyawinnage Sewwandi Maduka Kumari, sometime between 10:45 a.m. and 04:42 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Express in Katong Square on Saturday (09 Sep.), CNA reported.

The prosecution applied for him to be remanded for one week with permission to take him out for investigations, scene revisitation and recovery of exhibits, while the accused has requested to speak to the Sri Lankan High Commission to engage a lawyer and asked for the state to provide him a lawyer, but was told he could not communicate with anyone at this juncture. 

Accordingly, Koottage is scheduled to return to court on 18 September.

According to the police, the accused was arrested after he had surrendered himself to the Marine Parade Neighbourhood Police Centre on Saturday at about 05:05 p.m., claiming that he had killed his wife at the hotel.

The 32-year-old woman was found lying motionless with a slash wound in a hotel room when the police arrived, and was pronounced dead at the scene. 

Meanwhile, a knife, believed to have been used for the alleged murder, was also recovered in the hotel room. If convicted, Koottage faces the death penalty, (CNA)