Missing Tamil academic found dead in Colombo

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 October 2007, 18:39 GMT]
A senior lecturer of the Science Faculty of Jaffna University, Ponniah Mahinan, who was reported missing since Saturday evening in Colombo was allegedly abducted and killed. The body of the victim with scratch injuries, located Sunday, was identified by his wife on Tuesday. The lecturer from the Department of Mathematics had come to Colombo from Jaffna to supervise paper corrections of GCE Advanced Level examinations at the end of September and was staying at a lodge on Daya Road in Wellawatte.

He was scheduled to reach Jaffna Monday and his belongings were in packed state at the lodge Saturday evening when he was reported missing.

Relatives of the academic had lodged a complaint at Wellawatte Police Saturday at 10:00 p.m. Saturday as the family lost telephone contact with the lecturer, Police said.

On Sunday, the relatives in Colombo were asked to identify a decomposed dead body with scratch wounds at the National Hospital in Colombo.

The body, recovered from Bambalapitiya coast, was identified Tuesday evening by the lecturer's wife who came from Jaffna.

The lecturer from Kokkuvil East, Jaffna, leaves behind his wife and two daughters.