Pensioner beaten to death over stolen chocolate bar
Dharmasena Cooray, 67, was beaten to death by a shopkeeper and his employee after they accused the pensioner of stealing the treat in the city of Kandy, according to reports.
The victim lived with his wife in the Pahala-Eriyagama suburb after their two children moved away.
Mr Cooray would often visit the nearby market in Peradeniya to buy groceries and chocolates for himself and his wife.
On Aug 5, the shop owner and an employee confronted Mr Cooray after claiming CCTV footage from the previous day showed him stealing chocolate without paying.
They allegedly dragged him inside, where they punched and kicked him. Police said the suspects hit the father with an iron rod and he suffered multiple head and leg injuries, before the men left him by the roadside.
A woman passing by recognised Mr Cooray and took him to hospital.
Despite grievous injuries, he managed to give a statement to police, naming his attackers before dying on Aug 11. A post-mortem by the Kandy Judicial Medical Officer was inconclusive about the cause of his death.
Police have arrested the two suspects, who are currently in police custody, said Vijitha Wijekoon, a chief inspector of the crime branch in Peradeniya.
Sri Lanka's ageing population has traditionally relied on close-knit family support. But economic hardship has driven younger relatives abroad or to urban areas for work, leaving many older people isolated.
More than 12 per cent are over 60, making it the highest proportion in South Asia.
'It's heartbreaking that, instead of someone offering to pay for it or the shop owner letting the gentleman enjoy that small treat, he had to pay the ultimate price with his life,' said a local resident, Ms Zahra Niyas. 'So sad to see that compassion and humanity seem to be fading away in our world today.'
'Such a level of evil to beat a poor, defenceless old man to death over a chocolate. Let the justice system use the two idiots as examples. They deserve to rot in hell,' said Lal Kumarasanga, another local.
Pension swallowed by inflation
Neighbours said Mr Cooray's modest pension had been swallowed by inflation, a reality faced by millions in Sri Lanka since the Island's 2022 economic collapse. That unprecedented crisis triggered by years of economic mismanagement left the country unable to import essentials such as fuel, food, and medicine.
Across the nation, pensioners who celebrated Sri Lanka's independence in 1948 and survived its devastating 26-year civil war are still struggling to live on one handful of rice each day.
Annual inflation has eased since then, but prices for staples remain far above pre-crisis levels.
The World Bank estimates that poverty rates have doubled since 2019. Retirees on fixed incomes are among the hardest hit, with many unable to afford adequate nutrition or healthcare.
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