Trader shot dead, family members injured in Aalayadiveampu

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 March 2008, 14:06 GMT]
A group of more than ten unidentified armed men shot and killed a trader after assaulting him, at his house in Aalayadiveampu in Akkaraipattu police division in Ampaa’rai district, Saturday around 10:30 p.m., sources in Ampaa'rai said. Akkaraipattu Special Task Force (STF) troops video recorded his funeral and the attendees until his remains were interred, causing tension during the whole event, sources added.

The victim was identified as Thiyagappan Kurunathapillai, 56, a popular trader, a father of 4 children, and a resident of Nadaraasar Koayil Veethi, Koa’laavil-2 in Akkaraipattu.

The trader and his family had raised protests when the armed men forcibly entered the trader’s house, and began searching the premises.

The gunmen beat the trader during the argument and opened fire on the trader and his family, killing him.

His wife and two children injured in the shooting were rushed to Akkaraipattu hospital, sources in Akkaraipattu said.

The motive of the killing is not known, Akkaraipattu police who are investigating into the killing, said.

Aalayadiveampu and Koa’laavil in Akkaraipattu are areas in the control of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) where cordon and search operations are launched frequently, the sources added.

The presence of SLA-backed paramilitary men in these areas is a common sight, the sources said.