A 59-year-old woman was killed inside a forest reserve in the Korakahawewa area of Anuradhapura on Friday morning, allegedly attacked by her husband with a sharp weapon.
Police said the man had travelled to the location with his wife on a motorcycle. He is alleged to have attacked her there before injuring himself with the same weapon in an attempt to take his own life.
The woman, a mother of three from the Ulukkulam area, died at the scene. Her husband was admitted to Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital with serious injuries.
Police suspect a personal dispute between the couple lies behind the killing and are continuing investigations.
No charges have yet been filed.
Update, August 29: NewsFirst differs on age and location
NewsFirst carried the case on Saturday morning as one of three murders reported across the island, and its account differs from Ada Derana’s on two points of fact.
It put the victim’s age at 60, where Ada Derana said 59, and gave her home area as Ulukkulama rather than Ulukkulam. It also placed the killing in the Korakahawewa tank reservation area, while Ada Derana described a forest reserve. Neither outlet explains the difference, and both agree on the district, the alleged perpetrator, the weapon and the suspect’s hospitalisation after a self-inflicted injury.
The two other killings NewsFirst reported the same morning — a clubbing in Tangalle and a fatal group clash in Galle, both on Friday night — are covered separately.
Context
Sri Lanka’s National Committee on Women and the Police Bureau for the Prevention of Abuse of Children and Women handle complaints of domestic violence, with the 1938 and 1929 toll-free helplines offering psychosocial counselling and legal assistance. The Women and Children Bureau can be reached on 109.
If you or someone you know is affected by domestic violence in Sri Lanka, the Women in Need helpline is 077 567 5111.
