Man arrested over suspicious death of 5-year-old in Mulleriyawa

The police have arrested a 51-year-old in connection with the death of a child in Halbarawa area in Malabe.

According to the police, the suspect is a grass cutter who was in the vicinity of the construction site where the 5-year-old’s body was found.

On Thursday evening, the body of the child who had died under suspicious circumstances was recovered near a construction site in Halbarawa area.

Investigations were initiated after the Mulleriyawa Police were notified by the emergency hotline 119 about the incident.

It was observed that the five-year-old, named Jonathan Mark Fonseka had died of excessive bleeding after suffering critical cut wounds. Meanwhile, pieces of a broken glass bottle too were found near the body.

The police earlier said the child had been looked after by his grandparents during the daytime, while his mother, who is separated from her husband, was away at work.

The body of the child was sent to the Infectious Disease Hospital in Mulleriyawa for post-mortem examination following the completion of the magisterial inquest and the Judicial Medical Officer’s on-site inspection.