• They had been laying trap guns to kill game drinking water from the tank

By Athula Bandara

A group of poachers in the Muriyakalla tank reservation in close proximity to historic Thalagulu Raja Mahe Vihare in Galkulama, Anuradhapura, had received serious injuries in a misfire of trap guns, and two of them died on admission to hospital on Thursday night.

 The deceased are Kalubandage Kapuru Banda, 60, a retired police officer, and the other is W.S. Pradeep Rukshan, 44, a retired airman.

Investigations revealed that they had been laying trap guns to kill game drinking water from the tank.
When two of them received injuries, the other man had run to the village to seek help from the villagers to carry the injured to hospital and on his way back trampled on the trigger code of another trap gun and received injuries. However the villagers who gathered at the scene had rushed the injured to the Anuradhpura Teaching hospital, only to find two of them already dead.

Meanwhile Thirappane police that initiated investigations identified the individual who turned out the trap guns. He was to be produced before the Anuradhapura magistrate last morning.

A police team under OIC Thirappane police CI Bandara Ratnayake is conducting further investigations.

• Thirappane police that initiated investigations identified the individual who turned out the trap guns