Discovery of Woman’s Body in Parked Vehicle Leads to Expanding Police Investigation

A police investigation spanning multiple districts has uncovered a series of developments following the discovery of a woman’s body inside a parked vehicle near Teldeniya Hospital.

Authorities identified the deceased as 34-year-old physiotherapist Shamya Darshani, an employee of the Ampara District General Hospital.

Investigators stated that the case first drew attention after the victim’s brother lodged a complaint with Nuwara Eliya Police on June 17. According to the complaint, his sister had been staying at an apartment complex in Nuwara Eliya and had informed him that she had not eaten for several days.

Acting on the complaint, officers visited the apartment and found no one present. However, CCTV footage later reviewed by investigators reportedly showed a man arriving at the premises at around 9.50 p.m. on Tuesday and remaining there for approximately 40 minutes.

Police stated that additional footage appeared to show the same individual carrying the woman, who appeared unresponsive, before leaving the location in a vehicle at around 10.30 p.m.

While an alert had already been circulated to surrounding police stations regarding the missing woman, Teldeniya Police later received an anonymous telephone call reporting that a woman’s body had been left inside a parked car near Teldeniya Hospital.

Officers responding to the location discovered a locked vehicle with a body lying in the front passenger seat and covered with a black cloth. After gaining access to the vehicle, police recovered the body and later confirmed it was the same woman reported missing from Nuwara Eliya.

According to subsequent investigations, police suspect that the victim’s boyfriend, identified as a software engineer residing in Gannoruwa, Kandy, had transported the body to the location and abandoned the vehicle before leaving the area. Authorities also allege that the caller who contacted Teldeniya Police may have been linked to the incident.

Investigators further revealed that the victim and suspect had reportedly been in a relationship for around eight months. During inquiries, police gathered information suggesting that the woman had borrowed approximately Rs. 15 million from both a bank and private individuals and had provided the funds to her boyfriend with plans to migrate to Canada together.

Police stated that she had reportedly experienced severe emotional and financial stress after repayment demands increased and overseas plans failed to materialise.

Investigations indicate that she had stayed at the housing complex in Nuwara Eliya from June 3 and had later contacted both her brother and a psychiatrist attached to the Ampara District General Hospital, expressing severe distress. She had reportedly been advised to seek immediate psychiatric care at the nearest hospital.

Authorities also stated that her mobile phone became inactive after approximately 4.00 p.m. on June 16.

Further inquiries revealed that the vehicle used to transport the body is registered to another woman from the Ampara area, who is also alleged to have had a relationship with the suspect.

Following the post-mortem examination, an open verdict was returned, with authorities stating that the exact cause and manner of death have not yet been determined.

Police are continuing efforts to locate and arrest the suspect while further investigations remain underway under the supervision of senior officers attached to the Nuwara Eliya Division.