Fisherman shot dead

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 August 1998, 03:24 GMT]
Unidentified persons, wearing black masks, shot dead Inniyas Francis (39), on Monday at around 11:00 p.m., at Karuveppamkerni, 3 km north of Batticaloa, said sources. Mr. Francis, a fisherman, was shot at point blank range.

Karuveppamkerni is very near Satturkondan where a murder of a couple occurred under similar circumstances a few days ago.

Giving evidence at the inquest at the Batticaloa General Hospital before K. Thiyagarajah, Acting District Judge Batticaloa on Tuesday, Mary Theresa, wife of the deceased said that she, her husband and two children had gone to bed after dinner.

Between 11:30 p.m. and 12:00 midnight there had been repeated banging on the front door. The family had refused to open the door in fear. The marauders then broke down the door and two persons wearing black cloths around their faces entered. They forcibly took Mr. Francis out of the house.

Ms. Mary Theresa said she had screamed and started following them. At the door she was prevented from going further by another man.

Three men took Mr. Francis away into the night. The man who prevented Ms. Mary Theresa from going out, pushed her back inside the house. About five minutes later she heard two shots.

The men left, but Ms. Mary Theresa said she was too frightened to go outside.

Early morning on Tuesday when she went to see what had happened, she found the body of her husband lying on the ground about 250 yards away from the house.

Dr. K. Chandrapalan, the Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) pronounced Mr. Francis was shot in the mouth and under his chin at point-blank range, which had shattered his brain.

These acts of terror have created apprehension in the minds of the public.

Though nobody can establish identities with any degree of certainty, there is widespread feeling that responsibility lies either with the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), or the ex-militant groups or their splinter groups that work closely with the SLA, said sources