A seemingly innocent incident involving a pet dog quickly spiralled into a violent clash between members of two neighbouring families at Gonapinuwala village in Hikkaduwa on Saturday leaving a 34-year -old man dead and three others seriously injured.
The Telikada Police said the 34-year-old Lelkada Balage Dinesh Prasanga who worked as a machine operator in a factory was beaten to death and his immediate neighbour a 23-year-old man was arrested in connection with the murder.
Police say that the deceased’s wife as well as the suspect’s father and mother are undergoing treatment at the Karapitiya Hospital following the clash between the two neighbouring families.
A war of words which erupted between the two families after a dog raised in the main suspect’s house had jumped at the deceased while he was returning home from work had later escalated into physical violence.
The deceased had attacked the 23-year-old suspect’s father with an axe causing him serious injuries and the suspect arrested in connection with the incident had beaten his neighbour to death with a club. The man who was injured after being attacked with an axe is in a critical condition and has undergone surgery, Police said. Police are conducting further investigations.
Bimal Jayasinghe
