Adding her thoughts on the recent tragedy; homicide of 40 year old women in Kuruwita, Nishani Ranaweera, senior lecturer at the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Sri Jayawardenapura said that as of late social media has become one of the contributors to similar crimes. “But that doesn’t mean that everybody on social media platforms fall prey to such crimes. However social media has made it easier for perpetrators to execute cybercrimes. Things may start smoothly and then turn violent,” she said.
“Earlier people communicated through letters and then it shifted to phones and now its social media. People can now share photos and videos as well. Videos can go viral. This is only one of many incidents. There may be many other incidents that are not reported. Apart from that people can have many anonymous accounts on social media where they can create a make-believe world to befriend potential victims,” Ms. Ranaweera added. When asked about the nature of the killing, she said a crime was an unusual behaviour.
“Earlier people communicated through letters and then it shifted to phones and now its social media. People can now share photos and videos as well. Videos can go viral. This is only one of many incidents”
“With the pandemic, people were isolated at home and to stay away from boredom, they depend on social media. But we can’t exactly say if this incident happened in a similar manner since the investigations are underway. However, as technology becomes sophisticated, criminals also commit crimes in sophisticated ways,” Ms. Ranaweera said.
She said anyone could fall victim to a cybercrime irrespective of age. “There is a common law but people are unaware of where they should go to complain about such incidents. If one becomes a victim of a cybercrime they can report to Sri Lanka Cert. A cultural barrier also exists. When a girl is raped or abused, the incident is usually hidden from the public domain. Therefore an attitudinal change is also required,” she said.
Read the full article on: http://www.dailymirror.lk/print/news-features/The-Dam-Street-Mystery-Will-the-decapitated-head-serve-justice-to-the-crime/131-207045
Cited from the Daily Mirror
