Unholy dispute between custodians of holy shrines leads to ‘crucifixion’ of two

By Norman Palihawadane and Cyril Wimalasurendre

Two persons had been abducted and nailed to a wooden cross at Ampitiya over a Facebook post, Police said yesterday.

According to the Police, the two victims had been accused by their abductors of having published a defamatory Facebook post against Chief Kapuwa (Custodian) of a Devale at Balagolla.

Police Spokesman,  DIG Ajith Rohana said that the victims had been tortured before being nailed to the wooden frame. They were admitted to the Kandy National Hospital.

According to preliminary police investigations the victims, identified as Manjula Nishantha Ratnayake (38) and Kalinga Ratnayaka (44), were also running a separate devale in Ampitiya.

The suspect Kapuwa and his accomplices have since fled the area. The Balagolla Police and Kandy Police are investigating the incident.