Students disappear, driver found dead

Some students who had gone on a trip to Kandy from Nuwara Eliya yesterday have mysteriously disappeared while the body of the driver of the vehicle they travelled in was discovered close to Hantanne Estate along with the vehicle, police said.

Estate workers had alerted the police on finding the body. Police said they found a duplicate key of the van while the original was missing. The driver’s cellular phone and Rs. 2,000 were also found on him. Police said they did not know who the students were.

The deceased has been identified as 48-year-old K.M.Tikiri Banda. He had left Nuwara Elliya informing his wife that he was going on a hire for a group of students. He had told her that the students had wished to visit the Peradeniya University and the Dalada Maligawa. He had also told her that the students had asked him to meet them close to the Nuwara Eliya People's Bank at 9.30 a.m. The driver had contacted his wife at about 12 noon while on his way to Kandy. A police team has left to Nuwara Eliya to conduct inquiries.