Nine of the 14 people who died in the devastating fire at the Senehase Kendella residential care facility in Batagoda, Anguruwatota, remain unclaimed, with no relatives or other individuals having come forward to collect their bodies, the Horana Magistrate’s Court was informed on Thursday (11).
The disclosure was made when the case was taken up before Horana Chief Magistrate Lakmini Widanagamage. Court was informed that relatives of the remaining five victims had already claimed the bodies.
Meanwhile, the court granted bail to the facility’s operator, 38-year-old Isuru Anushka, who is known on social media as “Loku Aiyya.” He had been arrested and remanded over allegations that the institution was being operated in an unsafe manner.
The suspect was released on a cash bail of Rs. 100,000 and two surety bails of Rs. 1 million each. The Magistrate also ordered him to verify his residential address, surrender his passport to court, and imposed an overseas travel ban.
Police told court that 51 residents were rescued from the facility when the fire broke out, while 14 people died and four others sustained injuries and remain hospitalised.
It was further revealed that several inmates had been referred to the facility through requests made under the letterheads of various social service organisations and government institutions, including Divisional Secretariats.
Presenting facts before court, Anguruwatota Police stated that the doors and windows of the facility had been locked at the time of the fire, making rescue efforts extremely difficult.
Police also alleged that the suspect had failed to inform either the police or the fire brigade about the incident. Instead, he had allegedly recorded the blaze and uploaded footage to his TikTok account.
The suspect was produced before court via Skype technology.
The Magistrate ordered the case to be called again on June 25.
Attorney-at-Law Thushara Gunaratne and Harshana Matharaarachchi appeared for the suspect.
Facts were presented to court by Officer-in-Charge of Anguruwatota Police, Inspector Asanka Rajakaruna, while further investigations are being conducted by a team of police officers attached to the station.
