The police said that a couple held in connection with the recent killing of businesswoman Beatrice Veronika in the Kurunegala police area had been employed by her a few months before she was killed on June 7.

The police said that Veronika had hand picked them after interviewing several persons who responded to a newspaper advertisement seeking a couple.

The suspects had told police that they had found Veronika, a divorcee through a newspaper advertisement. They had said that though they weren’t married, Veronika accepted their claim of marriage and employed them and had given them accommodation at her luxury residence in Kurunegala.

The police said that people should be careful when employing domestic helpers.

The Police are still looking for Ranasinghe Hewage Jayantha, wanted for a series of robberies in several parts of the country. He, too, had picked some of his victims through newspaper advertisements.

The police said though Vidanagamage Indrani, involved in some of the robberies committed by Jayantha had been arrested by the Peliyagoda police on an anonymous tip off, the main suspect continued to evade law enforcement authorities.

Indrani had met Jayantha while they were serving prison terms. The police said that after leaving prison, the couple had found employment in Matara, where they robbed an elderly couple.

Police said that the couple had robbed cash and jewellery in February last year. The police said that though Indrani had  claimed that Jayantha had served in the army they hadn’t been able to establish that. Sources said that Jayantha had collected money from several persons promising them foreign employment and also had deceived several women.