16-year-old arrested for murder of three-wheeler driver and vehicle theft

A suspect has been arrested by the Puttalam Police in connection with the murder of a three-wheeler driver and the theft of his three-wheeler in the Puttalam area. The arrested suspect has been identified as a 16-year-old resident of the Rathmalyaya area in Puttalam, police said. Police launched an investigation following a phone call received yesterday (22) reporting the discovery of a body inside a drain in the Adappanavilluwa area of Puttalam. Investigations have revealed that the deceased was a 75-year-old man named Abdul Latheef, who had left home on 21 February for a hire in his three-wheeler. According to police investigations, the suspect had arrived at the victim’s residence around 9.30 p.m. that night, after which the victim had set off on a hire with him. Police stated that the suspect had allegedly attacked the driver to death using a sharp weapon to the neck, in order to steal the three-wheeler. The suspect had then fled the scene with the vehicle after abandoning the body, police said. The stolen three-wheeler was later found abandoned near a church in the Mullai Housing Complex in Puttalam. Accordingly, police have taken the vehicle into custody.