Swedish hotelier's murder: still a mystery

By Tharuka Dissanaike

Eva and Maria Graby were not idle tourists. Their visit to Sri Lanka earlier this month was with a purpose. They want to see justice done to their mother- Britta Graby- who was murdered in her rented house in Negombo last year.

Justice, they complain, is not seen to be done. The sisters claim that they are very dissatisfied with the way Negombo police has handled the case so far. "They have told us that if no fresh evidence is found, the police will close the case in six months," Maria said.

For the sisters it has been a case of relentlessly keeping tabs on the police investigation, since the tragic incident which happened June 27, last year. This was their fourth visit to Sri Lanka since the murder, and after each visit they have returned less and less convinced that a proper inquiry is being held, Eva said.

They had even sought redress by writing to the Foreign Ministry officials and seeking their assistance to ensure a fair and thorough investigation. Mother Britta Graby was a long standing member of the expatriate community in Negmbo. She, at the time of murder, was living alone in a beach side house despite her 74 years. What compounds the tragedy for her daughters is that, after 20 years of living and working in Sri Lanka, Britta was ready to quit and move back to Sweden. She was all packed. The furniture was shipped, the dog sold and the ticket bought. She wanted to spend her last years with her children and grandchildren, Eva said, with tears in her eyes.

But it was not to be. Britta's body was discovered by a neighbour. The intruder had come in through the verandah which faces the sea. Britta had been gagged and suffocated. She was found with her arms tied in font of her.

Eva and Maria are also puzzled by the way things were handled after the murder was discovered. The body was left inside the house until 11am the next day, during which time many people had wandered in and out of the house. A private TV channel had managed to film her body, still in her bedroom, on the bed. "This is atrocious," Maria said. "In our culture this would be an invasion of privacy. Very distasteful." What's more, the Magistrate had been brought to the scene after a considerable lapse of time, at 10 am the next day, and when the body reached the mortuary at Ragama Hospital that afternoon it was in a state of putrifaction, making it difficult to obtain evidence they say.

Eva and Maria find it difficult to understand how such lapses could have happened. They believe that there is more to the murder than a mere theft related crime. "We have given the Police a list of names and addresses of people who were associated with our mother in Sri Lanka, who we felt could shed more light on the crime," Maria said. "But the Police have not questioned or recorded statements from the relevant people."

In her 20 years in Negombo, Britta was involved in a number of business ventures. She started with a hotel - named Sunflower Beach Hotel. But later on had her hands were full with many other business concerns. She was a pioneer in bringing down Swedish tourists to Sri Lanka, a Sri Lankan friend of Britta's said.

Britta is described as a tough old lady who feared little, and was outspoken and hard- driving in her business deals. But she also gave very generously. "All the beggars and taxi drivers knew her for she would tip them lavishly," a friend said. She, at the time of death, was also involved in several pending court cases, two of which were concerning her own business interests and one other where she was helping a friend, another Swedish businessman - in a land case where he was demanding compensation from the state. "Every time we speak to the Police they give us contradictory stories on how the investigations are progressing," Eva said. "Every time we get the impression that they wish we would go to Sweden and never return."

The police, on their part, insist that a proper investigation is being carried out, even though they give no excuses for the earlier lapses. "I have assigned a team to work on this case. But no fresh evidence has come up," SSP Lawrence Amarasena said.

"We have looked at all aspects. Without sufficient evidence we cannot arrest anyone for the crime."

SSP Amarasena said that there had been no theft. The only items that were missing were the few rings and a bracelet that Britta wore on her person. The only clue was two finger prints found in her room and those belonged to her house boy. "I suspected the house boy, but the family says that he has been a long standing servant and is beyond suspicion. So we merely recorded his statement and let him go."

The SSP dispelled any fears that the case might be closed in the near future. "A case can go on for as long as twenty years.

"We are doing our part. It is upto the Police, and not others, to do the investigation," SSP Amarasena said.

But Britta's friends in Negombo, local and expatriate, strongly feel that the Police investigation is mediocre at best. "We were her closest friends and associates, but we were never questioned by the police about Britta's life here." They fear that this kind of apathy by the police, could discourage potential tourists and investors. "We are also frightened. We all think, that this could happen to any one of us, and what will the police do?" one expatriate asked.

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