The charred body of a woman employed at a nightclub was discovered by the Piliyandala Police near the well of a rented room in Kudamaduwa, Piliyandala today.

The dead woman was identified as Kanchana Gayani Abeyratne – a mother of three children, who had been working at a nightclub. A police constable suspected to have fled the seen when the woman was burning had also surrendered to Police. The incident had taken place around 1.30 am today.

The owner of the premises told Police that the woman had left for work on Sunday but he was unaware of her return. He further stated that in the night he had heard a woman scream. When looked out he had seen the woman on fire near the well and an unknown person had poured water over her and fled the scene.

The deceased, Kanchana had been separated from her husband who had gone abroad for employment. They had two children – boy aged 18 and a girl aged 14. According to Police, their native village was Rambukkana, Kegalle. She had lived in the rented room with a 6-year-old boy. The boy was left in a neighbouring house when she went to work and he was there during the incident. Her older children were living with a relative. The 6-year-old boy who lived with her had been handed over to the Women and Children’s Bureau of the Piliyandala Police.

Police said the PC who surrendered had wounds suspected to have been caused by having fallen off his bicycle.

The cause of death had not been ascertained and investigations were underway to find out whether she had set fire to herself, or was set on fire.

Kesbewa Additional Magistrate Ms. Sunethra Perera held the Magisterial Inquiry at the site and the body was sent to the Kalubowila Hospital for the post-mortem.

Further investigations are being conducted under the direction of the OIC Piliyandala Police, Somaratna Wijayamuni. (Dayaratna Pathirana, Piliyandala)