COLOMBO: Unknown men killed a Pakistani national in the western coastal town of Negombo on Tuesday night, the Pakistan High Commission in Colombo said on Wednesday.
The victim, Mohammed Yakoob Butt, 49, had been living in Dalupotha, in the Negombo district, since July.
The Pakistan High Commission in Colombo told Arab News it was following up the case with authorities, and the motive of the murder remained unknown.
Negombo Acting Magistrate Swarna Perera visited the crime scene and pronounced a homicide. He instructed the Area Superintendent of Police, Kapila Katupitiya, to investigate the case and apprehend the killers.
According to a copy of Yakoob’s passport seen by Arab News, the deceased was born on Jan. 1, 1970. He had rented an upstairs apartment in July this year.
Neighbors said the murder probably took place around 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday, when they heard ”unusual noises” emerging from the victim’s apartment. Eyewitnesses said they had seen two men fleeing the scene in a vehicle.
The victim was a UNHCR asylum seeker, according to government sources. He had sustained multiple stab wounds to all parts of his body.
There are some 844 refugees and 826 asylum seekers currently living in Sri Lanka, according to the UNHRC.
Under an agreement between the UN agency and the Sri Lankan government, asylum seekers and refugees cannot be produced in courts, and no legal action can be taken against them under Sri Lankan laws, as they are not citizens of the country.