Talangama OIC and three officers arrested

By Premalal Wijeratne- Wednesday, 20 Nov 2013                                      

The Colombo Crime Division (CCD) took into custody today, the Officer in Charge of the Talangama Police and three other officers who had allegedly been paid a sum of Rs 9.5 million by the millionaire businesswoman, to suppress an inquiry into an allegation of her involvement in the murder of a former police inspector attached to the STF, with whom it was alleged that she had an illicit affair.

Police Media Spokesman, SSP Ajith Rohana, said apart from the OIC, the other officers were the OIC of the Crime Division, a Sergeant and a Police Constable of the Talangama Police.

The complaint had been first received by the Talangama Police, and suspicions had been raised when the Police Inspector had not reported to work.

Sources said the woman and her driver had complained that the officers concerned had coerced her to pay the said sum of money, and in turn, they would suppress the investigation. It was following the complaint that the officers had been arrested.

A senior police officer who is conducting investigations, said a receipt confirming that the money was deposited into the bank account of the OIC had also been discovered. In addition, a sum of Rs 2.8 million had been paid to each of the other three police officers, and investigations are in progress to detect how the transactions had taken place.

A special police team from the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) is interrogating the suspects who were taken into custody yesterday.

Consequent to this aspect of the case coming to light, the IGP had instructed the DIG of the Western Division to take the suspects into custody immediately, so as to ensure that a transparent investigation into the murder would be conducted.

The CCD which is now conducting the investigation had taken measures to exhume the body of the victim from the Kitugala Cemetery. The CCD, while ascertaining how the contract for the murder had been given, had also unearthed information on the victim's body being thrown into the Kelani River after he was murdered.

A millionaire businesswoman, her driver, and four other suspects were arrested for the alleged muder of an officer attached to the STF.

A special team of police officers including Director, Lalantha Ranweera, and the OIC of the CCD, Neville de Silva, instructed by DIG Anura Senanayake, under the direction of the IGP, is conducting further investigations.

Police constable murder suspect’s house set on fire

By Kavinda Dhammika-Wednesday, 20 Nov 2013

A group has set fire to the house of ‘Katayam Chinthaka’ who has been identified as the chief suspect in the murder of a Police Constable and his wife in the Kamburupitiya area on 16 November.

An unidentified group of persons had allegedly murdered a 32-year-old police Constable and his wife at their residence in Walasmulla, Kamburupitiya.

Police Constable, Sunil Weligamaarachchi, an officer attached to the Matara Division Anti-vice Squad who recently engaged in a number of drug raids, his wife and two-year-old daughter had been attacked with clubs and sharp objectives.

A large portion at the back of the house, a motorbike and many other objects in the house were destroyed due to the fire last night (19).

However no persons were said to be inside the house at the time of the incident.

The Police have taken the suspect’s wife and daughter into custody, while a search is being carried out for his missing mother.

Around 300-400 officers of the Police Special Task Force have surrounded the Maspotha forest reserve to apprehend the suspect who is alleged to have hidden in the forest.

Suspect ‘Katayam Chinthaka’ and the deceased Police constable are said to be childhood friends and residents of the same area, while the suspect had later got engaged in the drug business.

The final rights of the deceased Police Constable and his wife were held at around 3 this afternoon, while the area residents of the Kamburupitiya were due to hold a peaceful protest in the area during the funeral. (Ceylon Today Online)