The death of school student Tihara Nirmani (16) who apparently fell from the fifth floor of a motel in Kalutara remains a mystery to date. With the Kalutara South Police unable to crack the case, IGP C.D Wickramaratne has now tasked the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) with uncovering the truth behind the incident that has shaken Sri Lanka to its core.
On May 6 Police found the young girl’s body lying near the rail tracks based on a tip-off. A woman in the vicinity and a staffer of the motel the girl had visited that day is said to have witnessed a couple moving Tihara Nirmani’s body and informed the Police about it.
Statements have been obtained from the duo since. Within hours the investigators were able to identify the girl as Tihara Nirmani, a resident of Nagoda, Kalutara. Did she jump or whether was she thrown out of the window remains to be answered.
On the fateful day, Tihara had arrived at the motel with three others around 6.20 p.m. It was found through CCTV footage and witness statements that the group had reserved two rooms and spent time together in one while consuming alcohol.
The footage also revealed that two persons from the group, a male and a female had left early. Next, another male was seen rushing out of the motel as well.
According to investigations on the day Tihara had left home with a friend identified as 19-year-old Pabara Mavindi. The deceased girl’s family has raised questions about Pabara’s character and said she was advised on several occasions to refrain from maintaining a friendship with Tihara.
Mother
But on the day Pabara had taken Tihara away from her home despite her mothers’ opposition saying they were heading to a dansala being held in Kalutara. While her mother had later called Tihara, the teen had said she was at the dansala. The next time her mother attempted to contact Tihara her phone appeared to have been disconnected.
It was a person named Ishan who had revealed to the Police the identity of the fourth person. He was identified as 29-year-old Danushka Gayan Sahabandu, a resident of Palatota, Kalutara. It was also revealed he is a father of two young children and was of good financial standing due to his work as a vehicle seizing person and by giving out loans on interest.
On questioning the duo had revealed they tricked Tihara into coming with them on the day and had brought her to Danushka in the hopes of benefitting from him.
The group had arrived at the motel in a rented car used by Danushka. While the duo said the group then consumed alcohol together, they also told Police they left Tihara and Danushka in the room saying they were going to spend some time in the other reserved room.
It was found that Danushka had shortly called Ishan and said that Tihara had jumped out of the room window. He had requested Ishan to return to the location. Ishan and Pabahra had met Danushka outside the motel and proceeded to the spot where Tihara’s body had fallen. The couple had then moved the body away from the railway tracks to ensure it was not damaged by a train.
Phone
Ishan had then thrown Tihara’s phone into the Kalu Ganga and taken Pabara to his residence in Wilegoda. Danushka now fleeing the authorities headed down South instead. A friend who supported Danushka to retrieve his vehicle was later arrested by the Police for aiding and abetting him to flee.
However, it was observed the Police appeared reluctant to take action against the motel owners who had allowed an underage girl to reserve a room on the premises. Despite it being illegal the Police waited till May 11 to take any action against them. The motel owners feigned ignorance and said a NIC of a 23-year-old was presented to the counter and they had no method to ascertain Tihara’s real age. However in the end the Police also arrested the motel owner’s wife who was manning the reception on the day.
The Urban Development Authority (UDA) has also commenced a probe into the motel and found many building violations. It now intends to take further legal action against the owners.
With Danushka absconding the Police had then taken steps to publicise his photographs on social media hoping to receive a tip-off on his whereabouts. In a matter of hours, the Police said it received a tip-off from a member of the public who identified the suspect from the image shared due to his quite distinctive tattoo on his arm. On May 10, Police set up a temporary roadblock in Hikkaduwa and managed to nab the suspect who was travelling in a car at the time.
A detention order was obtained and Danushka was thoroughly grilled by the Police. He told investigators Tihara had jumped from the window after receiving a call and becoming agitated. He also maintained that he had no sexual relations with the girl, a fact proven by the post-mortem conducted on her.
Introduced
Danushka said he had not met Tihara prior to this day and was introduced to her by Ishan. He said he received a call from Ishan on May 6 morning and was invited by Ishan to spend time with them later that evening. He has also claimed he was unaware of Tihara’s age and insisted she jumped out of the window after receiving a call.
Who gave the call to Tihara remains a mystery. While Navy and Police divers are now looking for Tihara’s phone thrown away by Ishan, the CID is taking steps to obtain all data relating to her mobile number to discover the truth about the day’s events.