Avant Garde Security Services Kilinochchi OIC arrested for murder of pregnant mistress

Kilinochchi Police have arrested the Officer-In-Charge (OIC) of the Kilinochchi office of Avant Garde Security Services, which is providing security to a major apparel company in Kilinochchi, for allegedly strangling his five-month pregnant mistress to death. The 42-year-old suspect identified as Vinayagapuram Kirus Krishna Pillay alias Krishna Keedan 42 is a former LTTE police officer and had served as an OIC for Avant Garde for some time, Sinhala daily Dinamina reports.

The suspect, a father of two, has been rehabilitated under the government's rehabilitation program and employed in the apparel company as a security guard. His wife, who also served with him in the LTTE police has been rehabilitated by the government.

The victim, identified as 24-year-old Karupayiya Nithyakala, who is also a rehabilitated LTTE cadre, has joined the apparel company as a security guard two years ago and the suspect had started an affair with the victim. The couple had met frequently at various locations and the woman has become pregnant. On the 29th August, the victim had left work at 7:15 pm and the suspect had followed her on her way home. Later both of them have met in a jungle spot near a culvert at Paranthan Road in Mullaitivu. During the encounter they had an argument over the pregnancy and the suspect has assaulted her and strangled her with the lanyard of her Avant Garde ID tag, according to his confession to the police.

Afterwards the suspect has removed her uniform and dumped her body in a swamp near the culvert. The Kilinochchi police following information received on an unidentified female body have inspected the area, the residents have identified the victim. However, the police have not been able to identify the culprit and the villagers and the staff of the security firm have staged a protest against the police complaining that the police are not taking action. After Senior DIG Roshan Fernando had explained the procedure of investigating, the crowd has dispersed.

While the suspect as usual has continued his duty as the OIC of the security firm, the police searching the crime scene have recovered the victim's mobile phone, her uniform and several other items and found that the last call from her phone has been made to the suspect. After taking into custody and during questioning, the suspect has initially denied the allegations but upon intensive questioning has confessed to the crime. The arrest was made within 72 hours of the crime.

Jaffna Judicial Medical Officer U. Mayuradharan has conducted the postmortem examination. It was revealed that the victim had been strangled to death and she had been five-months pregnant. The suspect was remanded till September 14 after being produced before the Kilinochchi magistrate yesterday (02).

Kilinochchi police are conducting the investigations under the supervision of Senior Superintendent of Police Palitha Siriwardena and Superintendent of Police Samarajeeva under the direction of Senior DIG in charge of the North Western Province Roshan Fernando.