Five armed men who broke into the Mount Queens Hotel in Haputale last night shot and killed a witness in a murder case who was staying there and fled.
Haputale Police say that A.P. Seneviratne (47) a resident of Devinuwara, Galkatihena has been killed. He is a trader by profession.
The police say that this person was shot with a 09mm firearm and the owner of the hotel Chamil Suranga (47) was also injured and admitted to Diyathalawa Hospital.
The police say that the hotel owner’s assistant was shot dead.
The police say that while the hotel owner and his assistant were watching TV in the lobby of the hotel, five people came there and said they wanted to drink alcohol. The police say that the owner said that they cannot allow alcohol to be consumed there, and at the same time, a person among the group picked up a firearm and shot both of them.
The murdered person is a witness in the Matara High Court case number 167/10. According to his testimony, four members of the same family who were accused of murder were sentenced to death in 2017. In that regard, the relatives of those persons have sent death threats against this person. That is why the Victim Protection Authority has informed the police to provide him protection. Accordingly, the Gandara Police had provided him with 24-hour security. That is when he stays in the Gandara police domain.
The police say that he has been staying in Haputale for one and a half years. The police say that he comes to Devinuwara from time to time and the police are informed when he comes. Then the police will take steps to provide him protection. In the end, he came to Devinuwara during the Devinuwara Perahera days and the police said that he had stayed for 03 days and left.
The police say that it appears that the shooting was planned. The police also say that investigations are underway to identify the killers.
