A ‘Preacher’ identified as Ruwan Prasanna Gunaratna, has been linked to the suicide of 7 individuals who are also his followers.
Speaking to The Newsdesk today (05), police spokesman SSP Nihal Thalduwa confirmed that the ‘preacher’ had also committed suicide, and has encouraged his followers to do the same.
“Gunaratna had organised 15 meetings at different locations. During these sermons, Gunaratna has encouraged a solution to problems, and that solution was death. Under the guise of a better after life, Gunaratna had managed to preach to a vulnerable audience. Most of the attendees are those who have been upset over the economic crisis and other problems,” he said.
He further noted that Gunaratna had commited suicide by means of ingesting a ‘cyanide- type’ capsule, and the 7 individuals who had commited suicide had also ended their lives in a similar manner.
Sri Lanka police are currently investigating into the matter and attempting to trace all followers so as to avoid more deaths.
