Mass suicide? : Probes into 7 recent deaths under similar circumstances handed over to CID

Investigation activities concerning seven deaths that had occurred under similar suspicious circumstances within the last few days have been handed over to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Police Media Spokesman SSP Nihal Thalduwa said.

The bodies of a young female and a male who died of suspected poisoning were found by the police. The duo are said to have been the followers of a certain religious preacher who had committed suicide in the Homagama area recently. 

Police said that the body of the 21-year-old woman was recovered at her residence in the Yakkala area. In contrast, the body of the 34-year-old male person, who is identified to be a resident of the Ambalangoda area, was found at a guest house in the Maharagama area where he was temporarily staying.

An individual identified as “Ruwan Prasanna Gunaratne”, who had engaged in religion-related preaching activities in various parts of the island, was found dead from poisoning and was believed to have committed suicide recently.

A few days later on December 31, his wife (35) was reported to have committed suicide by consuming poison after feeding poison to her two sons and daughter at their home in Kahantota in Malabe, according to police. The woman’s two sons and daughter were aged 09, 08 and 07 years respectively.

The 21-year-old woman and 34-year-old man in question had also attended the funeral of the religious preacher, police said.

Police further suspect that all seven deaths were the result of ingestion of the same type of poison.