Missing gem businessman found in abandoned mine

Police discovered the body of a small-scale gem businessman, who was reported missing under mysterious circumstances, buried in an old gem pit at the Neelagama Estate in Kahawatta this afternoon (30).

The victim, identified as 61-year-old Walpitagama Anura, a father of two from Kattange, Kahawatta, disappeared on the afternoon of the 28th.

Investigators located the body following an interrogation of an individual identified through mobile phone records whose statements raised suspicion.

The remains lay buried in a forested area behind a house in the Kahawathukanda area.

Authorities suspect a dispute over a gem transaction led to the killing. Reports indicate the businessman purchased a gemstone from an individual for Rs. 80,000, having made an initial payment of Rs. 30,000.

Information suggests the murder occurred when he went to settle the remaining Rs. 50,000.

Following his disappearance, his motorcycle was found on the 29th on Neelagama Road, about a kilometre from the Kahawatta Police Station.

His mobile phone was also recovered the same day in a tea estate belonging to the Kahawatta Plantation Company nearby.

Kahawatta Police continue further investigations into the incident.