Krishanthi case accused escape police custody

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 March 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Two Sri Lankan army soldiers, accused of raping, torturing and murdering Krishanthi Kumaraswamy, a 18 year old Jaffna school girl, along with her mother, brother and their neighbour, escaped from Police custody when they were brought to the Colombo high court today.

The daring escape has come amidst reports that the Police had found evidence that the accused soliders were planning to break out of custody.

The first accused in the case, Somaratna Rajapaksha and the eigth accused, D.G Indrajith Perera had asked permission to answer a call of nature and had made good their escape on the way to the courts' wash rooms, said police sources in Colombo.

Krishanthy Kumarasamy was murderd after being stopped at an SLA sentry point at Kaitadi, Jaffna district, on 7 September 1996. Her mother, 16 year old brother and their neighbour went missing on the same day after they made inquiries at the sentry point. Their bodies were later found in shallow graves in Kaithady.

Nine SLA soldiers are accused in what is widley known in Sri Lanka as 'Krishanthy rape case'. The ninth accused died of brain fever.