VIDEO: FATHER’S FOOTSTEPS...

August 8, 2013  

Former DIG Vaas Gunawardena’s son, Ravindu Gunwardena who was arrested yesterday over the murder of a businessman, being escorted out of the Colombo Magistrate’s Court premises. The Colombo Additional Magistrate today (8) granted permission to the CID to detain Ravindu for an additional 24-hours for further questioning. (Pic by Sanjeewa Lasantha/Osanda Daham Nimsara)

Vass' son Ravindu netted

By Ishara Ratnakara, Premalal Wijeratne and Binoy Suriyaarachchi-Thursday, 08 Aug 2013

Colombo Additional Magistrate, Mohamed Sahabdeen, yesterday issued a detention order for 72 hours on Ravindu Gunawardena, to enable the CID to interrogate him over the killing of millionaire businessman, Mohamed Shyam. Ravindu, the son of former DIG, Vass Gunawardena, who was wanted by the police in connection with the abduction and murder of Shyam, and was absconding arrest, was found by the CID yesterday (7) at dawn, hiding in a house at Mayura Mawatha, Pepiliyana. His father, Vass Gunawardena, who is also a suspect, is already in custody.

A high ranking police officer revealed, another youth from Ahangama, who was with Ravindu in the house at Pepiliyana, was also taken into custody, on suspicion. The owner of the house had however managed to flee, and a special police investigation team is on his trail. The owner had bolted when the CID team had suddenly swooped on the premises.

During the interrogation of the six suspects including DIG Vass Gunawardena, by the CID, it had come to light that Vass' son, Ravindu, had also accompanied the alleged murderers to the place where Mohamed Shyam had ultimately been taken to, and murdered.

It had also been disclosed during investigations that Vass' son was also involved in the abduction of the businessman, the high ranking police officer added.

The CID is conducting a probe into other crimes of extortion and murders committed by the suspects, which had come to light during the investigations into the murder of the Bambalapitiya businessman. The Kaduwala Magistrate had also issued a warrant for the arrest of Ravindu, for absconding Court in the case filed against him, on charges of assaulting Nipuna Ramanayake, a student of the Computer Technology Institute, Malabe, sometime ago.

Since 1 June, a special CID team had been on the trail of the suspect, and several houses were searched in
Colombo, the suburbs and the South of the country.

Consequent to fresh clues emerging from the suspects already in custody for the murder of Mohamed Shyam, a special CID team had been assigned to follow the leads and continue with further investigations.