Colombo: A 43-year-old man from Gampola committed suicide by hanging himself over his wife's decision to leave the family and secure employment in the Middle East as a housemaid, ignoring his objections.
Sources said he had attempted to end his life six months ago as well, objecting to his wife's decision to leave him and their three daughters, one of who is disabled. However, on that occasion, he had been rushed to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Gampola
Hospital and the doctors had managed to save his life.
Sources said the deceased was a vendor who sold fruits in Gampola Town. They also said he had been under mental pressure since his wife had left for the Middle East, as their eldest daughter was attached to her mother. The man had been looking after his children after their mother had left the country. His mother-in-law had agreed to take care of the disabled child while he had taken care of the other two children who attend a school in Gampola.
One day, after the two girls returned home from school, he took them to his mother-in-law's house and had asked her to take care of them over the weekend. This practise had continued for a sometime, while he had been spending time alone in his house at Gangawatta.
Neighbours told the police that he had been complaining that, every time he telephones his wife, a man answers the call at the other end. Police investigations reveal that he had been threatening to kill his three children and then kill himself. Eventually, the man who is said to be illiterate sent a letter to his mother-in-law through his eight-year-old daughter saying he had decided to end his life.
The Inquirer into Sudden Deaths for Gampola and Nawalapitiya, Nalin Mediwaka, conducted the inquest in which six witnesses had given evidence leading to the man committing suicide.
Judicial Medical Officer of Gampola, Dr. D.M.C. Nilawala, conducted the post mortem and concluded that death was due to strangulation by hanging.
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