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THREE PEOPLE HAVE died after a ‘grease devil’ panic struck rural Sri Lanka.
Reuters reports that a number of assaults that happened during the night were blamed on so-called “grease devils”, thieves who historically covered their bodies in grease to evade capture.
However these latest grease devils have been targeting females, causing women to stay indoors.
The appearances have also led to suspected grease devils being attacked themselves – two were hacked to death on Wednesday by a mob.
A third man died while hunting for a grease devil when he accidentally stood on an electric wild boar trap in the jungle.
Police have arrested 47 people following 30 reported incidents involving grease devils.
Police spokesman Prashantha Jayakody said:
There is no grease devil as such. It is a human among us with an ulterior motive of stealing or to engage in some illegal activities.
Some men have been arming themselves with clubs and sticks and standing guard at night time.
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I am an Irish citizen living in Sri Lanka.
There has been much excitement in our neighbourhood (near Badulla). Villagers are convinced that there is a serial killer on the rampage. The elderly ladies, Tewanee and Meenaaachi, who work for us have been telling us that they know for a fact that women have been raped and killed in this vicinity, their breasts bitten off, their hearts torn out. Yesterday, Tewanee’s dogs were killed by having their throats slashed.
We live at nine mile post. We heard of an attack at two mile post another at seven mile post. We heard that a man had been chased by a mob with sticks and knives and he had hidden in the jungle near the Tea Research Institute. We asked a doctor friend who works in Badulla near the general hospital. He said there had been attacks but he had not heard of any deaths. Sightings are getting closer to our home.
We phoned the local police chief. At that very moment he was in a meeting with the manager of the tea estate next to the one on which we live. The OIC told us there was nothing to worry about, These were just wild rumours.That is the official police line but arrests have been made and the Special Task force has been sent into the Hatton area.
The fear is real. We have been told two men have been watching out house. Villagers are roaming the roads with sticks and knives setting fire to the jungle to flush the miscreants out.
Two travelling salesmen have been hacked to death in Hatton on suspicion of being grease devils.Police have opened fire on a rampaging mob in Pootuvil , killing one.
There are sufficient evidence to conclude grease-devil terror campaign is orchestrated by the Sri Lankan military and police. The real motive appears to be creating panic and to use it an opportunity to militarize eastern province and bring Muslim and Tamil areas under full grip of the military. The Sri Lankan military has sent 2 battalions with tanks into mainly residential areas of Kinniya causing unbearable pain on the local mainly Muslim residents. On the previous the Army has vandalized and mosque and house after insulting innocent worshipers.
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