Five headless bodies found in Sri Lanka

Apr. 27 (AFP) - Five headless corpses were found in central Sri Lanka but police said Thursday the incident was not linked to the island's conflict with Tamil Tiger rebels.





The bodies were found in two places about 80 kilometres (50 miles) east of the capital, police said.

"We suspect they may have been killed due to a private dispute," a police official said.

"We are checking on a few clues, but they are unrelated to the conflict in the northeast."

An investigation was underway to identify the victims.

Sri Lanka has a high crime rate.

Five or six people are murdered daily over private disputes in the country as court cases can drag on for years.

Violence has also been on the rise as government forces and Tamil rebels edge closer to a full-scale civil war after four years of a fragile ceasefire after 18 people were killed in government airstrikes.