A 26-year-old woman was rescued in critical condition after being abducted, assaulted and thrown into a well in the Nellikkadu area, while another woman’s body was discovered in the same well, police said.
Residents in the area alerted authorities after hearing cries for help from the well and found the woman struggling in the water. She was rescued with the assistance of police and admitted to the Batticaloa Teaching Hospital for treatment.
Police identified the victim as Murugamoorthy Ranuja, a resident of Kothiyapulai in the Vavunativu Police Division.
Preliminary investigations revealed that she had been abducted on Thursday (19) while traveling with her daughter. The child had been abandoned, while the woman was assaulted and thrown into the well.
Acting on information provided by the victim, police later recovered the body of another woman from the same well.
Police suspect the body may be that of a woman reported missing last month from the Narpathuvattai area in the Vellaveli Police Division. Relatives have tentatively identified the body based on personal belongings, but formal identification will be carried out through a post-mortem and DNA testing.
Police are investigating the motive behind the incident, as two women were found in the same well under suspicious circumstances.
Further investigations are underway. (Newswire)