The arrest comes following the initial arrest of the child’s mother.
The 26-year-old woman was having an extramarital affair with the arrested man, after she fled from her house with her son following a brawl with her husband.
The suspect has thus assaulted the deceased boy after he was unintentionally scratched by him.
The mother giving a statement to the police has said..
“I worked at a garment shop in Nawagamuwa. I worked there from 2015 December to 2016 March 16th. Since I was not paid well I left it. I did not work afterwards. I lived in a rented room near Godagama junction with my two-year-old son.
“The boarding house has two stories and I lived in the top floor. I spent on my son and me using the money I was able to save when I was working. During this time I started a love affair with a man in Meegoda area.
“One day (05.07.2016) at around 11.00pm he came to my boarding room. At around 7.00am, the next morning, he said that the collar of his T-shirt was torn and to mend it. I left him and my son in the room and went to Godagama Junction. All the tailor shops were closed at that time. So I came back to the boarding house.
“He and my son were sleeping on the floor at this time. I made tea and called them. It was around 8.00am. After drinking tea my son played in the room. He wound his toy plane and sent it forward. He (the man) took the plane and handed it to my son. Then his hand was scratched by a nail from my son’s hand.
“Then he hit my son with his hand five-six times. I went to my son and asked him (the man) to stop hitting. He pushed me aside and hit my son with a broom stick he took from under the bed. He hit him on the stomach and back. My son fell onto the floor. I took my son, kept him on the bed and tried to help him breathe by giving mouth to mouth resuscitation.
“It was no use. He had swelling marks on his stomach and face area. Then I saw blood oozing out of his mouth. I screamed loudly. When I was screaming he (the man) threatened to kill me. Then I said that I’m going to leave and got ready. It was around 9.30 – 10.00 am. At that time he left the house.
“I did not take my son to the hospital fearing that he would hit and kill me. When I was staying in the boarding room with my son, he returned at around 11.30-12.30pm. He threatened me saying, ‘do not tell this to anyone. If you do I will go to the jail with everyone in the family. If I do go I will come back in five years and kill you all’.
“We stayed in the boarding room with my son till night. Then we wrapped my son in a cloth and got into a three-wheeler from Godagama junction. We went near Vimukthi’s house and sent the three-wheeler back.
“We went near an abandoned house there. There were two coconut trees near the parapet wall of that house. He brought a hoe and dug a hole between the trees. He took my son from my hand and buried him there. I brought the cloth we wrapped the son in back home. It is in the Kottawa boarding house now. We came back to the boarding at around 8.00- 9.00pm.
“We stayed in the boarding that night. With my clothes I left the next morning. He went to his house. He asked me not to go home and found me a boarding room in Kottawa area. I stayed in this house and went to work at a tailor shop. He came once in every two-three days to see if I was home. We did not stay together in that boarding house. I did not tell that my son was murdered to my husband, family or relatives.
“My husband called me on the phone and started to ask about our son. I lied saying that he was asleep. Then on 08.06.2016 I sent a missed call to my husband. He called me back. I told him that our son has died. I told him that he fell off the staircase and died. I lied saying that I threw the body into the Kelani River because I was scared. Then my husband came to Colombo in search of me.
“I told him about what happened to the son. He said that we should go to the Mirihana Police. He lodged a complaint there. Then I said we should go to Mahiyangana. We got into a Colombo- Bibile bus and came home. When I was home Mahiyangana police came and took me. They questioned me. Then I told the real story to the police officials.”
The 29-year-old suspect was arrested in connection to the death.
