Mahalingam Shashikumar - ‘Swiss Kumar’, and seven other suspects were handed the death sentence by the Jaffna High Court today, for the rape and murder of Vithya Sivaloganathan.

Eighteen-year-old Vithya Sivaloganathan was brutally raped and murdered in Pungudutivu, west of Jaffna on May 13, 2015.

In the immediate aftermath of the incident, three brothers were arrested. Later 5 youth in Colombo were arrested and lastly Mahalingam Shashikumar - ‘Swiss Kumar’ was arrested.

The nine accused are Poobalasingham Indrakumar, Poobalasingham Jeyakumar, Poobalasingham Navakumar, Mahalingam Shashidaren, Pillainandan Chandrakasan, Shivaderan Kushange, Palani Rubasingham Kuganathan, Jeyadaran Kokilan and ‘Swiss Kumar’.