The owner and principal of a private educational institution in Kurunegala town, who were accused of sexually assaulting ten female students who were receiving residential education, were arrested by the Kurunegala Headquarters Police the day before yesterday (22nd).
The suspect, the owner of this institution, is a 48-year-old married father of two, a resident of Jayanthipura Road, Kurunegala. The police say that the female students who have been subjected to abuse have come from various parts of the island and received residential education here.
The suspect was arrested by officers of the Criminal Investigation Division the day before yesterday (22nd) after the female students complained to the Children and Women’s Bureau of the Kurunegala Headquarters Police about the incidents of abuse they are facing. The police stated that a group of female students between the ages of 15 and 18 residing there have been subjected to abuse.
This private educational institution, which is run on the Udawalpola road in Kurunegala, provides residential education in Sinhala and English medium to students who have failed the Ordinary Level and Advanced Level examinations for a fee and then presents them for government examinations.
It is said that only female students are residents in this educational institution, while residential facilities have been provided to students at another location. Although there must be wardens for the security of a hostel where only girls are housed, the police have also revealed that the suspect has carried out all the activities including the management of the girls at this place. 25 female students were studying at that place.
It has also been revealed that he has sexually abused the female students by groping their genitals during the study period and at night. In addition, it has been revealed that he has also abused the female students by taking them in his car on the pretext of various study activities.
The police also say that the group of female students have been assaulted by him and that the female students have also been injured and that the suspect has been abusing the female students since December last year.
It is said that the suspect was previously accused of sexually assaulting a group of female students while working at a similar educational institution in the Kandy area.
The group of female students were scheduled to be referred to the Judicial Medical Officer of the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital for a medical examination yesterday (23rd). On the instructions of the Kurunegala District DIG Sarath Kumara and Senior Superintendent of Police Chandana Herath, the Kurunegala Headquarters Chief Inspector Dhamma Kobbewala and the OIC of the Criminal Investigation Division Chief Inspector Pushpalal arrested the suspect and are conducting further investigations.
