IGMH nurse Lamha found guilty in Mary murder case
Earlier on Monday, the Criminal Court also found Marvin guilty of the intentional murder of Mary Grace.
The Criminal Court on Monday found Haleemath Lamha Abdul Rahman guilty of charges linked to the murder of Mary Grace Oneda Pineda, a Philippine national who worked as a nurse at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH).
The court ruled that Lamha was guilty of accessory to intentional murder, unauthorised control over another person’s property, and carrying out an activity without the required permit.
The case centred on the death of Mary Grace on 19 October 2021 at her residence in Maafannu Uduheykokaage.
According to the prosecution, Mary’s husband, Marvin S.Y. Vargas, and Lamha planned the killing and carried it out by assaulting Mary and suffocating her inside the apartment.
Lamha denied all charges throughout the trial.
In its verdict, the court rejected Marvin’s earlier claim that Mary had died by suicide, finding instead that the evidence established that Mary was murdered.
The court said the evidence showed that Marvin and Lamha were involved in a relationship and intended to marry, with Mary viewed as an obstacle to that plan.
According to the judgment, the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that Lamha assisted in planning the murder and provided instructions on how it should be carried out.
The court also referred to evidence relating to substances recovered from Lamha’s residence. According to the judgment, injections that could not be legally possessed outside IGMH were found in her room.
The court said Lamha was unable to provide an explanation for the presence of the substances.
The judgment further stated that evidence recovered from deleted messages on Lamha’s mobile phone showed that she had communicated with Marvin about administering injections to Mary. The court found that the messages contained instructions on how the substances were to be used.
Earlier on Monday, the Criminal Court also found Marvin guilty of the intentional murder of Mary Grace.
However, sentencing in his case was postponed until 1 July after a request from the defence for additional time.
The court is expected to proceed with sentencing for both defendants following the completion of the remaining legal proceedings.
