Five suspects, including a woman, have been arrested in connection with the death of a woman whose body was found in a well in the Kokkadicholai Police Division and the attempted murder of another woman who survived a similar incident, police said.
Investigations were launched by officers from the Kokkadicholai Police Station and the Eastern Provincial Crime Division following the incidents reported from the Nellikadu, Kuluvinamadu area on March 20, 2026. The surviving victim was admitted to the Batticaloa Teaching Hospital for treatment.
Police said three suspects – two men aged 22 and 34 and a 26-year-old woman – were initially arrested on March 22 in connection with charges of kidnapping, robbery and murder. They are residents of Navatkadu, Batticaloa and Kanchana Kuda.
Investigations revealed that the suspects had targeted women travelling alone by offering them transport in a three-wheeler. During the journey, the victims were allegedly given drinks laced with intoxicating substances, after which they were robbed of their gold jewellery and thrown into a well while unconscious.
Police said the deceased woman was a resident of the Kalavanchikudi Police Division. She had reportedly been travelling from the Wellaweli area to the Palugamam Government Hospital when she was picked up by the suspects, drugged and later killed.
In a separate incident on March 19, another woman travelling with her three-year-old child was targeted in a similar manner. After being drugged and robbed, she was thrown into a well, while the child was abandoned in a paddy field in the Vavunathivu area. The child was later found safe.
Further investigations led to the arrest of two additional male suspects, aged 39 and 49, in the Batticaloa area for possessing and disposing of the stolen gold jewellery.
Police said all stolen items have been recovered and investigations are ongoing to determine whether the suspects were involved in other similar crimes. (NewsWire)