Two teenagers have been taken into custody in connection with the murder of a watchman at a children’s orphanage in Pepiliyana, according to police reports.
The suspects, aged 16 and 17, were arrested following the discovery of the watchman’s body, which was found after he failed to report for work yesterday. The orphanage currently accommodates 12 children who have been placed there under court orders and is managed by a head warden and a watchman.
Concerned about the watchman’s absence, the orphanage staff and children conducted a search, which led to the grim discovery made by one of the children.
Authorities were also notified of a stolen three-wheeler parked outside a nearby residence early that morning, with witnesses reporting that an individual seen fleeing the scene ran into the orphanage.
Following inquiries, police found the watchman’s body near a well on the orphanage grounds. Investigations revealed that the 17-year-old suspect allegedly escaped through a window before attacking the watchman. Authorities are also considering the possibility of an outsider’s involvement.
Further investigations indicated that the two arrested teenagers had intended to use the stolen three-wheeler to dispose of the watchman’s body at Bellanvila Lake. However, upon noticing the owner of the three-wheeler, they abandoned the plan, leaving the body by the well before returning to their rooms.
The Boralesgamuwa Police are now investigating to determine if any other children at the orphanage were complicit in the murder. The deceased watchman was an 80-year-old father of two.