The body of a 23-year-old married woman was discovered in a bedroom at her husband’s residence in the Warapitiya area of Kundasale, Kandy, in the early hours of Saturday, with her relatives alleging she was assaulted and killed by her husband and his family members, Ada Derana reported.
Police were called to the scene at around 2:00 a.m. on June 20. According to the husband’s account given to investigators, he had returned home in the early hours after attending a musical show and found the woman hanging by the neck. He told police he had cut the rope and lowered her body onto the bed.
Relatives of the deceased disputed that account. They told police the couple had been married for nearly two years and that several complaints had previously been lodged with the Balagolla Police accusing the husband — whom they described as a drug addict — of harassment. They said the woman had frequently returned to her parents’ home after alleged assaults and had been planning to seek a divorce.
A letter said to have been written by the deceased was handed over to police and the magistrate by the husband’s family at the scene. Relatives, however, told investigators the handwriting did not belong to her.
A tense situation reportedly developed at the location as the family of the deceased became agitated. The magistrate subsequently ordered the body transferred to the Kandy National Hospital for a forensic medical examination.
Balagolla Police are conducting further inquiries. The reported pattern of prior complaints follows similar Central Province domestic violence cases reported in recent weeks and comes against the backdrop of tightened protection orders under the amended Prevention of Domestic Violence Act.
