A suspect has been arrested in connection with the death of 9-year-old Fatima Aisha in Atalugama, Bandaragama. The Police stated that the 29-year-old believed to be a drug addict was arrested on suspicion.
He was arrested by the Kalutara Crimes Division. The body of the 9-year-old girl was discovered in a marshy land adjacent to her residence on Saturday.
Speaking to the Daily News yesterday, Police Media Spokesman SSP Nihal Thalduwa said that the Postmortem examination conducted on the body of the child had found that she had died of suffocation as mud and water was found in her lungs. He said that the Postmortem examination had determined that the girl was not raped.
The body of the nine-year-old girl, Fatima Ayesha, who was reported missing from the Atulugama area in Bandaragama since Friday morning, was found in a marshland located close to her home on Saturday evening (28).
The girl had reportedly left her home to purchase goods from a nearby shop on Friday morning and had not returned home.
The mother had then lodged a complaint with the Bandaragama Police regarding the disappearance of her child.
Following the complaint, a search operation was launched and CCTV footage indicated the girl entering and leaving the shop. Police said that the incident may have occurred around 250 metres away from her home where CCTV coverage was not available.
Meanwhile, the Homicide and Organized Crime Investigation Division of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) was handed over the investigations on the directives of the IGP.
Meanwhile, the Panadura Magistrate has permitted the Police to detain this suspect for two days for interrogation yesterday.