News

Sarah Jasmin confirmed dead in 2019 suicide blast

Published

1 year ago

March 29, 2023

editor

DNA tests have confirmed that Pulasthini Mahendran, alias Sarah Jasmin, has died in the suicide bomb blast at the safe house in Sainthamaruthu on 26 April 2019.

This was confirmed by the Police, after DNA tests were conducted on the remains of those who were killed in the 2019 bomb explosion in Sainthamaruthu.

The exhumation of the remains buried at the Ampara cemetery was ordered by the Kalmunai Magistrate’s Court on 26 April 2022 for the re-examination of DNA.

Mahendran, a converted Islamic extremist and part of Zahran Hashim’s terror group, was the wife of suicide bomber Atchchi Muhammadu Muhamma, the attacker who targeted the St. Sebastain Church in Katuwapitiya in the string of bomb blasts that took place on 21 April 2019.

Days after the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks, several including children were killed in a bomb explosion inside a house at Sainthamaruthu in Kalmunai on the 26th of April. The bomb was detonated by one of the brothers of Zahran Hashim, identified as Mohamed Rilwan.

Although it was observed during investigations that a total of 17 people had died in the explosion, none of the DNA samples from the bodies of the deceased had matched the sample from Pulasthini’s mother.

(adaderana.lk)

(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by adaderana.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

News

Mahindananda acquitted

Published

8 hours ago

April 30, 2024

nipuni

Former Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage has been acquitted in a case filed against him for money laundering.

Aluthgamage has been charged with failure to declare the source of funds used to purchase a luxury house worth Rs. 27.4 million at Kynsey Road in Borella, during his tenure as a minister.

News

Elderly lady lawyer murdered inside house

Published

8 hours ago

April 30, 2024

nipuni

Kohuwala Police has said that an unmarried elderly lawyer who had lived alone in a house in Kalubowila, has been murdered on her bed and her property was stolen.

The deceased has been identified as Chandani Satharasinghe, 64, of De Silva Road, Kalubowila. Police said that he had a brother who is living in Canada.

She has been in regular contact with him on the phone and had contacted him for the last time on February 15.

A person residing in the Mirihana area, who is a friend of the Canadian resident brother, had come to the Kohuwala Police Station yesterday afternoon and filed a complaint after the latter’s relative told him to inform the Kohuwala Police regarding the loss of contact with her by phone after February 15.

It has been further revealed during the Police investigations, that an assailant or a group of assailants who entered the house had disconnected the electricity and killed her on the bed, covered her body with cloths and searched the belongings in the house. Mount Lavinia Acting Magistrate Ratna Gamage, who came to the scene of the crime, conducted the preliminary magisterial investigation and ordered the Police to place the body in the morgue of the Kalubowila Teaching Hospital and conduct the postmortem.

Kohuwala Police are conducting further investigations under the directive of Mount Lavinia SSP Prasanna Brahakmanage.

News

Decision on Keheliya’s petition against remand order, deferred

Published

8 hours ago

April 30, 2024

nipuni

The Appeals Court has deferred its decision on the writ application filed by former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella challenging the remand order issued by the Maligakanda Magistrate.

The writ application was called before Appeals Court Judge D.N. Samarakoon this morning.
The decision, which was scheduled to be delivered today (30), is now expected to be communicated on May 07.

The former health minister had put forward the relevant petition, seeking a court order invalidating the order issued by the Maligakanda Magistrate under the Public Property Act to remand him until the completion of the trial on substandard human immunoglobulin procurement.