Two-year old beaten to death with broomstick

A very small child aged two years old had been beaten with a broomstick and the child's mother and her paramour had been taken into police custody in

This assault resulting in murder is alleged to have taken place inside a rented house in Athurugiriya where the two of them are supposed to have been living and the illicit husband is supposed to have assaulted the child with a broomstick because he had been scraped with the fingernails of the child which had provoked his anger. As a result of the severe assault sustained by the child on his abdomen and chest the child had died on the spot. Later being scared that the paramour would be jailed because of the murder, the two of them had taken steps to bury the child in an abandoned piece of land in the area unknown to anybody.

The real husband of this woman who had deserted her for a period of time on meeting her had inquired about the child and thus the mystery had come to light yesterday. As such the 26 year old child's mother living in Mahiyangana and her illicit husband aged 29 years hailing from Colombo were taken into custody yesterday.

This is how the suspect woman had described this heartrending incident to the police: "My married husband had left me and I am a person who was left lonely with a child. I worked at a garment factory for sometime. Later I resigned from there and rented out a solitary room close to Godagama Junction with my two-year old son. There was some money that I had saved. It was with that money that I lived. During this period I happen to develop an affair with one Vimukthi in Meegoda area. He used to come on and off to the room we were living to stay back the night.

He came on the night of May 7th. We got up the following morning around 8 o'clock. After drinking tea my son was playing inside our room. When playing like that the toy plane which was in son's hand was wound and sent forward. He took the toy plane which went forward into his hands and handed it over to son. Then the fingernails on son's hand accidentally happened to scrape his hand. 'This chap has the father's habits. That guy's face also'. So saying he struck five or six blows hard on the child. That moment I went near the child and and held him shouting not to hit the child. He pushed me aside and then got hold of the broomstick that was under the bed in the room and struck several blows on my son's abdomen and back in a severe manner. Just then my son fell down on the floor. He looked unconscious. Because of the blows struck there were bruises on the side of my son's abdomen and face region. I tried to give him artificial respiration. After a while some red-colored something like blood began coming out from his mouth. Oh god! We realised that he had died. I yelled out. But when I shrieked he threatened me not to. He scared me saying that if I shout he would kill me also on the spot there. 'Don't tell this to anybody ... if you tell, I'd go to jail. If you tell, I'd go inside and come out even in five year's time and will kill all of you!' so saying he frightened me. That time he said to wait until night and and bury the body without anybody knowing. I didn't even take the child to a hospital because of the fear that I would get assaulted and killed.

Later we both kept the child in the boarding-house till night and then when darkness fell at a time when nobody could see the two of us got together and after wrapping up the child in a piece of flannel and started carrying the child went to some distance and then got into a three-wheeler at Godagama Junction and proceeded towards Vimukthi's home. Because the child was being carried in the arms, the three-wheel fellow didn't realise. Sending him away we went on foot towards an abandoned house near Vimukthi's home. He dug a pit about 3 feet with a mammoty in the midnight by the side of a wall of that house. He took the child in my arms and after putting him into the pit, closed the pit. The piece of flannel which was used to wrap the child I brought home. That piece of cloth is still there at the Kottawa boarding. The following day I had no feeling to stay in that house. Taking my clothing I shifted to a boarding in Kottawa side.

The incident of assaulting my son and killing him I never told my husband, anybody in my home or any other relative. My married husband used to speak to me over the phone and frequently enquire as to where son was. On such instances I used to tell for lies that son is asleep. In the meantime I gave a missed call to my husband on 08.06.2016 and at that moment I told him that our son was not among the living. My husband began questioning me details. After that I told that son fell down from the steps and died. I then for lies said that I took the child and threw him into Kelani River because of the fright I had. It was after that my husband came in search of me. I told the true story about the child. It was after that the police were contacted".

The 02 year old child S.M. Minul Devithis passed away in this manner. The 29 year old suspect woman was taken into custody for having abetted in the murder while her illicit husband have been arrested by Athurugiriya Police in this connection. Further investigations are underway in this regard over the murder.