A mother and her teenage daughter have died and two men have been seriously injured after a group allegedly set fire to a house in Maharagama, police said.
The victims were a 55-year-old woman and her 16-year-old daughter who were living in a rented house in Pamunuwa area Maharagama.
The injured include the girl’s father and a 76-year-old house owner, both of whom have been hospitalised with serious burn injuries.
The incident occurred on Friday (18). Neighbours extinguished the fire and rushed the injured men to hospital. The bodies of the woman and her daughter were later found inside a room in the house.
Police said a smell of petrol was detected at the scene and initial investigations indicate that the fire was a deliberate arson attack leading to a double murder.
The motive has not yet been established and Maharagama police are continuing investigations. (NewsWire)