Husband kills wife in petrol bomb attack

2026-02-14 - 07:10

Police in Parasangaswewa state that a husband has killed his wife by hurling a petrol bomb yesterday (13) following a dispute between the couple. The deceased has been identified as 40-year-old Damayanthi Ekanayake, a resident of Medagama in Parasangaswewa, Anuradhapura. It is reported that the couple had been living separately for some time due to an ongoing dispute. The husband, who is a serving member of the Navy, had forcibly entered the house yesterday morning and initially attempted to strangle his wife using a hose connected to a gas cylinder. He then carried out a petrol bomb attack and fled the scene. At the time of the incident, the victim’s mother, who was living with her, had gone to a funeral in the area. Upon learning of the incident, she returned home and found her daughter had died after sustaining severe burn injuries. Following the magisterial inquiry into the killing, a post-mortem examination was scheduled to be conducted. Two teams of officers from the Anuradhapura Police and the Parasangaswewa Police are conducting further investigations.