Multiple sources have confirmed that Sub Inspector at the Buttala police, who is suspected to have a killed the 30-year-old woman whose decapitated body was found in a travelling bag, had got to know the victim during an election campaign and through social media.

Several media reports have erroneously attributed their affair to "social media" and stated that the victim paid the utimate price for trusting a "stranger" whom she met on social media.

It has now been confirmed that the Sub Inspector, who committed suicide following the murder, worked in personal security details of a Cabinet minister and a Parliamentarian of the previous government.

He had worked in the security detail of SJB Ratnapura District MP Hesha Vithanage while the victim too was an ardent supporter of the same MP. The police officer had received a promotion while he was working in the security detail of MP Withanage and had been deployed to the Buttala police station.

The victim had also been heavily involved in community-related work in her area and had been an strong supporter of several political candidates. It was during the election campaign that they had got to know each other and started an intimate relationship.