Connived to kill CEB engineer in 1989
Was released on bail after six months in 1990
Absconding since then, living in various areas
The Criminal Investigation Department has arrested a woman who was convicted and sentenced to death for the killing of a Ceylon Electricity Board Engineer Dr. W. Amarasiri, 33 years after the murder.
She has been remanded until today after being produced in Courts. The Engineer had been murdered at a house in Welipillewa, of Panagoda, Embulgama road in the Athurugiriya Police area on January 13, 1989. His dismembered body had been found buried inside a barrel.
The convicted woman A. W. Kamani Champika, a 66-year-old mother of one child was 32 years old when she had committed the crime. She had been having an affair with the engineer and had worked as a typist at the CEB head office where Dr. W. Amarasiri had also worked.
She had been residing in a house at Sri Sumana Mawatha in Welipillewa along with her husband who was working as a timekeeper at the SLTB. The engineer had been killed by the husband of this woman and she had aided and abetted in the crime. Her husband too had been sentenced to death for the crime.
The husband had got to know about his wife’s affair and after threatening her had asked her to invite him to their house after coming to know that his wife had used to meet the engineer at his house while he was away.
When the engineer had arrived, the woman’s husband had hacked him to death, according to Police. Later Police had begun investigation regarding the engineer after his wife had complained to Police that he had gone to work but had not returned home. In the investigation conducted by Police officers, it was found that the engineer’s vehicle was in the CEB office car park. Later during the investigation, Police had found that the engineer had been having an affair with the typist who was working with him at the CEB. Police who searched her house had found both the woman and her husband have gone missing as well. After a lengthy investigation, Police had been able to arrest the couple and had recovered the buried body.
The couple had been remanded by the Homagama Magistrate’s Court and they had been released on bail after six months in 1990. It is said that had produced fake sureties and documents to obtain bail.The couple had gone into hiding after obtaining bail.
They had been tried in absentia for the murder of the Engineer in Colombo High Court and both were sentenced to death in 2019.A Police Sergeant named Sampath from the CID had been following the case closely and had got an information a couple resembling those convicted of murder were residing in the Bandaragama area.
After a lengthy investigation the woman had been arrested in Alubomulla. The CID found that she also has a son who was employed as a driver. Police said he had no knowledge that both his parents have been sentenced to death for a murder.
She had confessed to Police that she and her husband had lived in several areas in the country often changing their place of residence and occupation.
The Police said her husband still was in hiding and a raid has been launched to arrest him.
Under the supervision of Senior Superintendent Lucky Randeniya, Chief of CID Homicide and Organized Crime Investigation Unit, a team of officers including Sub Inspectors Piyal, Silva, Sub Inspector Manel, Police Sergeants Gamage and Sampath were involved in this raid.
GAYAN KUMARA WEERASINGHE
