Woman timber shed owner killed, another critical in Athurugiriya

The Athurugiriya Police said a woman was killed in a sharp weapon attack in a timber shed located on Godagama Road, Athurugiriya on Tuesday.

Another person who was hit on the head with a stick and a sharp weapon was seriously injured, was transferred from the Homagama Base Hospital to the Colombo National Hospital for further treatment.

It is said that a 51-year-old man named M. Chandrasiri, a resident of No. 85, Milangama Athurugiriya, was injured in this attack while the woman who was killed was Mangalika Piyaseeli Mahawatte (62) of No. 239, Moratuwahena, Athurugiriya and the owner of the Athurugiriya Lakmini Timber Dealers.

The seriously injured person works in this sawmill and because he did not come home after work, his wife had come to the sawmill at around 8 pm and had seen her husband and the owner of the sawmill lying in a pool of blood, seriously injured after being hacked with sharp weapons.

After informing the police about the incident, police officers had arrived immediately at the scene and during the inspection, it had been revealed that the woman was dead and that the injured person was in a critical condition.

The Suwa Seriya ambulance had taken the injured person on May 2 night to the Homagama Base Hospital and subsequently, doctors had taken steps to transfer him to the Colombo National Hospital for further treatment, on the same night.

It had been revealed during preliminary investigations that on that day at around 4 pm, the son of the deceased woman had made a phone call and spoken as usual to his mother and police said that no information was received until this incident was reported at around 8 pm.

Police suspect that this incident may have taken place between 4 pm and 8 pm. At the time of the arrival of the police, the knife that had stabbed the deceased woman’s face on the left side of her mouth and caused serious injuries was in her mouth.

Police said a separate investigation was underway based on fingerprints found on this knife.