Family man shot dead, another abducted in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 March 2008, 17:55 GMT]
Four unidentified armed men on two motor cycles arriving at the house of a family man in Kea’niyadi, Meesaalai West in Thenmaraadchi Tuesday morning shot and killed him, sources in Thenmaraadchi said. Another family man from Kaalaiyadi South in Pa’ndaitharippu was abducted from his house Monday around 10:00 p.m during curfew hours by unidentified armed men in a white van, his family members registered complaints with Human Rights Commission (HRC) Jaffna Tuesday.

The man shot dead in Thenmaraadchi was identified as Rathinam Vinayageswaran, 34, the father of four children and a bakery employee of Kea’niyadi Lane, Meesaalai West in Thenmaraadchi.

The victim was standing in front of his house when the killers opened fire on him at point blank range.

Chaavakachcheari police recovered the body and handed it over to Jaffna Teaching Hospital mortuary Tuesday evening.

The family man abducted from Pa’ndaitharippu Monday night was identified as Varnakulasingam Kulatheepan, 29, the father of 2 children and a resident of Kaalaiyadi South in Pa’ndaitharippu, Valikaamam.

In Naaranthanai North, in the islets of Jaffna, unidentified armed men shot and killed the ex-owner of communication centre Friday around 8:30 p.m.

Killings of this nature had abated in recent times in Jaffna peninsula.