The Murder of Dilini Yehansa

What Happened

On the morning of 1 March 2021, a travelling bag was discovered on Dam Street — one of the busiest commercial strips in central Colombo. Inside was the headless body of a young woman. Within 48 hours, police identified the victim as Dilini Yasodha Jayasundara, popularly known as Dilini Yehansa, a 30-year-old woman from Kuruwita in the Ratnapura District.

The perpetrator was identified as Sub-Inspector M.A. Premasiri, a 52-year-old police officer attached to the Buttala Police Station, who had been conducting an extramarital affair with the victim. Before investigators could reach him, Premasiri was found dead — hanging from a rubber tree near his home — leaving behind a four-page confession letter to his wife.

The case shocked Sri Lanka not only for the brutality of the crime but because the killer was a sworn officer of the law. The victim's head was never recovered.

Key Facts

Victim: Dilini Yasodha Jayasundara (Dilini Yehansa), age 30
Residence: Theppagama, Kuruwita, Ratnapura District
Family: Lived with her mother and brother
Perpetrator: SI M.A. Premasiri, age 52, Buttala Police Station
Perpetrator's status: Married, father of three
Relationship: Extramarital affair between victim and perpetrator
Date of murder: 28 February – 1 March 2021
Location of murder: A lodge near Hanwella Bus Stand
Body discovered: Dam Street, Colombo — 1 March 2021
Cause of death: Killed before decapitation (postmortem confirmed)
Head: Never recovered
Perpetrator's death: Suicide by hanging and poisoning, 3 March 2021
Trial: None — suspect died before arrest

Timeline of Events

FEB 27
2021

Dilini leaves home

Dilini tells her brother she is going on a pilgrimage to Sri Pada (Adam's Peak). She makes her last phone call to her brother around 10 PM from the Erathna area, after which her phone is switched off.

FEB 27
Night

SI Premasiri takes leave

Sub-Inspector Premasiri, having taken six days' leave from the Buttala Police Station, arrives at a lodge near the Hanwella Bus Stand that night. He and Dilini check into the lodge together.

FEB 28 –
MAR 1

The murder

Dilini is killed inside the lodge room. Postmortem evidence later confirms she was killed before being decapitated. Premasiri washes the body and thoroughly cleans the room to remove traces.

MAR 1
Morning

The body is moved

CCTV captures Premasiri leaving the lodge carrying a travelling bag. He takes a three-wheeler to the Hanwella bus stand, boards a private bus to Colombo (Pettah), and is captured on camera alighting at Dam Street where he leaves the bag containing the decapitated body near a shop.

MAR 1
2021

Body discovered on Dam Street

The travelling bag containing a headless female body is found by the public on Dam Street, a crowded commercial area in central Colombo. Police arrive and launch an investigation.

MAR 3
2021

Victim identified; suspect found dead

Police identify the body as Dilini Yasodha Jayasundara. The same day, SI Premasiri is found dead — hanging from a rubber tree in a rubber estate at Pahe Kanuwa, Badalkumbura, Moneragala District. A bottle of poison is also found at the scene; investigators believe he consumed poison before hanging himself.

MAR 3
2021

Suicide letter discovered

A four-page letter written by Premasiri to his wife is found. In it, he confesses to the murder and describes the affair and the arguments that led to the killing.

MAR 4
2021

Search for the head begins

Police launch extensive operations to recover the victim's severed head, scouring locations along Premasiri's route using CCTV footage. The head is never found.

MAR 9
2021

DNA confirms identity

Official DNA test results confirm the body as that of Dilini Yasodha Jayasundara, closing the identification phase of the investigation.

How the Case Was Solved

Despite the suspect's death before arrest, investigators pieced together the full sequence of events through forensic evidence and surveillance technology.

Evidence Trail

CCTV footage traced Premasiri's movements from the Hanwella area to Colombo — cameras captured him purchasing a knife and a bag from a shop, leaving the lodge with the bag, boarding the bus, and abandoning the bag at Dam Street.
Lodge records confirmed both Premasiri and Dilini had checked in together at the lodge near Hanwella Bus Stand on the night of 27 February.
Postmortem examination confirmed Dilini was killed before the decapitation, ruling out the possibility that she was alive at the time of dismemberment.
Suicide note — a four-page letter written by Premasiri to his wife — served as a confession, describing the affair and the arguments that preceded the murder.
Crime scene forensics at the lodge revealed that the room had been washed and cleaned, but enough trace evidence remained to confirm the murder took place there.
Three-wheeler driver testimony confirmed Premasiri's movements from the lodge to the Hanwella bus stand with the travelling bag.

What remains unresolved

The victim's severed head was never recovered, despite extensive search operations along the suspect's known route.
No trial took place — the sole suspect died before arrest, effectively closing the case without a judicial verdict.
The precise motive beyond “ongoing arguments” was never established in court; only the suicide letter provides context.

In Film

Feature Film · 2026

Room No. 106

A Sinhala crime thriller based on the Dilini Yehansa case, released on 26 June 2026. The film dramatises the illicit affair, the murder inside the hotel room, and the police investigation that followed — drawing directly from the real events of March 2021.

Director: Suranga de Alwis
Screenplay: Suneth Malinga Lokuhewa & Dr. Senesh Dissanaike Bandara
Music: Sanka Dineth
Lead cast: Bimal Jayakodi, Dishney Rajapaksha, Shyam Fernando, Damitha Abeyrathne
Producers: Sangeetha Films (Praveen Jayaratne, Jeewantha Kaldera, Pabodini Jayakody, Ishani Seneviratne)
Runtime: 128 minutes
Rating: 18+
Production: Filmed July 2024 – January 2026

Room No. 106 — Official Trailer

Sources

Daily Mirror — “Decapitated body found in Dam Street: Suspect SI found dead hanging.” dailymirror.lk
Daily Mirror — “The Dam Street Mystery: Will the decapitated head serve justice to the crime?” dailymirror.lk
NewsFirst — “Dam Street Headless Body Identified: Police.” newsfirst.lk
NewsFirst — “Dam Street Headless Body: Sub-Inspector commits suicide.” newsfirst.lk
NewsFirst — “Dam Street Headless Body: Police discover suicide note of SI.” newsfirst.lk
NewsFirst — “Travelling bag murder case: Operations continue to recover missing head.” newsfirst.lk
Ada Derana — “Decapitated body of woman found in suitcase identified; suspected SI commits suicide.” adaderana.lk
Ada Derana — “Woman found in suitcase killed before decapitation, postmortem reveals.” adaderana.lk
Ada Derana — “DNA test confirms identity of decapitated female body found in suitcase.” adaderana.lk
Lanka Puvath — “Operations continue in search of missing head of the decapitated woman.” lankapuvath.lk
Lanka Puvath — “DNA test report on decapitated body found on Dam Street confirms victim's identity.” lankapuvath.lk
Hiru News — “Mystery murder in Dam Street: body washed and the room completely cleaned.” hirunews.lk
The Island — “Police scour CCTV footage in strategic locations in a bid to find decapitated woman's head.” island.lk