Woman’s body recovered from crocodile infested canal; suspect arrested

Kilinochchi Police have arrested a suspect in connection with the grisly murder of a 67-year-old mother of five.

After killing the victim, her body had been taken and dumped in a crocodile infested canal, police said. 

The victim had been living in London, England with her children but had returned to the country about three years ago and had been living at a rented house in Ambalkulam, Kilinochchi. 

Her relatives had lodged a complaint with the Kilinochchi Police saying that she had gone missing since last night. Police had inspected the house she had been living in and found several bloodstains at the location. 

Based on information provided by area residents, police today arrested a 22-year-old suspect in connection with the murder. 

Further investigations and interrogation of the suspect had revealed that after the victim had been murdered, her body had been put on a motorbike and transported some 18 kilometres to a crocodile infested canal in Kandapuram and dumped there. 

Based on information provided by the suspect, police had visited the location where the victim's body had been dumped. Officers recovered the victim's body which had been stuffed inside a fertiliser bag while it was floating in the canal. 

Police are conducting further investigations to ascertain if another person had assisted the suspect to dump the body into the canal. The arrested suspect is due to be produced before the Kilinochchi Magistrate. 

By Romesh Madushanka