Brutal slaying of a 52-year-old mother and her 19-year-old daughter plunges a community, struggling to overcome the shock of a recent spate of killings, into a renewed state of panic and fear.
 
Kahawatte was once a hamlet that was better known for its lustrous gems, tea plantations and rubber estates. But with as many as nine women being brutally assaulted and killed in the period ranging from July 2008 to February 2012, the otherwise laidback village located in the Ratnapura District is gaining notoriety for heinous crimes.
 
The latest in the recent spree of killings – the gruesome double murder of a mother and her daughter – has sent shockwaves among its inhabitants and created a pervasive climate of fear. The killings have raised serious concerns about the safety and security, particularly of the female folk, in this verdant village.
 
As the news started to spread about the murder of 52-year-old homemaker P. Nayana Nilmini and her 19-year-old daughter Kavindhya Chathurangi Sellahewa last Thursday (February 2), a renewed state of panic and fear set in. The dual murder had been carried out in a manner similar to the recent string of murders, with a sharp instrument being used to strike fatal blows on the head, chest and back of the victims.
 
Many villagers are convinced that despite the arrests made by the law enforcement authorities in connection with the previous incidents, a serial killer is still at large. The double murder has plunged a community, already struggling to overcome deep-seated fears and insecurities, into a renewed state of panic and fear.
 
A tragic tale of a mother and daughter
 
The Sellahewa ‘Maha Gedara’ is a humble abode nestled among paddy fields along a narrow, rutted offshoot of Temple Road, Kahawatta, and is in close proximity to the Kahawatta Pradeshiya Sabha.
 
Every morning, Nayana Nilmini walked her daughter Chathurangi down Temple Road to board her into a school van which took her to Ferguson High School in Ratnapura. Every afternoon, Nayana waited at the top of the road to accompany her daughter back home. Nayana always held her daughter’s hand tight and passersby would look on, often amazed at the palpable affection between a mother and her teenage daughter.
 
Nineteen year old Chathurangi was a bright student. She was determined to do well in her Advanced Level exams and move to the city to find suitable employment upon completion of her studies. Having obtained 4As, 3Bs and 2Cs at the Ordinary Level examination and being a respectful and cheerful child, Chathurangi was a source of joy and pride for her family.
 
Little did the residents of Temple Road and its vicinity imagine that the much-liked mother and daughter, in a cruel twist of fate, would one day meet with a most tragic end; that their coffins would lay side by side.
 
Nayana and Chathurangi mostly lived alone. Nayana’s husband Rohitha and their 24-year-old son Kusal Chathuranga are both employed in Colombo; Rohitha is a driver at a private residence in Narahenpita while the son works as a salesperson at a well-known private company.
 
Kusal Chathuranga Sellahewa had last spoken to his mother on January 31 at around 9.45 a.m. Their conversation had been brief as it was a busy time at work for Kusal. He had called next on the evening of February 1.
 
When she had not responded, Kusal had initially not been worried. Rohitha, who too had been unable to reach her, had eventually alerted a relative and neighbour following his wife’s prolonged silence.
 
At around 11.00 pm on February 2, a small group of relatives and neighbours on approaching the house saw that front entrance was locked but noted that the rear entrance was open. This was the first sign which indicated that something was not right as it was unusual for anyone in the area to keep doors unlocked at night.
 
Upon closer inspection, they had seen a trail of blood on the kitchen floor. Without venturing any further and fearing the worst, the group had informed the Kahawatta Police who, upon entering the house, had found Nayana’s severely mutilated corpse lying on a bed.
 
Meanwhile Chathurangi’s decaying body had been found in the 15th division of the Opatha Watta rubber estate by rubber tappers of the area at 11.27am that very morning (February 2). But due to the condition of the corpse, no one had been able to identify her.
 
According to the Police Media Unit, Nayana and Chathurangi are most likely to have been murdered on the night of January 31 given the decomposed state in which their bodies were found.
 
Both mother and daughter had been stripped naked and their bodies bore stab marks of a sharp instrument in the head, chest and back. The earrings and bracelet which was worn by the mother had been taken away but nothing else had been robbed from the house. The daughter’s earring too had been removed.
 
The Police Media Unit also said that the post-mortems which were conducted in the Ratnapura General Hospital were unable to establish whether or not the mother and daughter had been sexually assaulted.
 
Vineetha, the elder sister of Rohitha Sellahewa, noted, “Nilmini and Chathurangi lead a quite life, and never created problems for anyone. They were very innocent, helpful, and loved by everyone. So I simply don’t understand why anyone would want to harm them. No one deserves this.”
 
The son and brother of the victims Kusal Sellahewa said, “Nothing will bring back them back, but we expect the Police to solve this case soon and that the culprits will be apprehended.”
 
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is currently conducting investigations and is being assisted by the Kahawatte and Ratnapura Police as well as a team from the Special Task Force (STF). Though no suspects have been identified in the on-going case, the Police maintain that the previous incidents in Kahawatte were isolated acts committed due to personal animosities and that people should go about their daily lives without fear as adequate security has been provided to the people of the area.
 
However Premawathie, an elderly resident of Kahawatta pointed out, “We are told that there have been arrests in relation to the previous incidents, but this double murder which has been committed in a manner similar to the other murders in the area, has convinced people that the killers are still on the loose. We live in constant fear.”
 
Another resident of the area who wished to remain anonymous stated, “We always keep the doors closed, even in the morning and remain vigilant throughout the day and night. Women in particular don’t go out at night and usually go about in groups during the day.”
 
While the Police investigations continue, the residents of Kahawatte continue to live in a state of fear. Will the law enforcement agencies be able to dispel fears and restore people’s confidence? Will the long arm of the law be able to deliver justice to these innocent victims whose lives have been so tragically cut short, and their loved ones? The villagers of Kahawatte wait in anticipation. 
 
Nine women have been murdered in Kahawatte from July 2008 to January 2012.
 
2008
July 21 - Sellama Mariyani, 56
November 19 - U. Ariyawathi, 52
 
2010
June 4 - D. Baby Nona, 48
December 21 - S. M. Heen Menika, 80
 
2011
May 30 - D. M. Heen Manike, 85
April 3 - O. Karunawathi, 66
June 19 - S. Jayanthi, 54
 
2012
February 2 - P. Nayana Nilmini, 52 and K. C. Selllahewa, 19
 
(Ayesha Zuhair reporting from Kahawatte)