Top Sri Lanka police officer held over 'contract killing'
-11 June 2013 
Vaas Gunawardena is already a controversial figure in Sri Lanka
Deputy Inspector-General Vaas Gunawardena has been given a 90-day detention order.
He is suspected of involvement in the alleged contract killing of Mohamed Shiyam in Colombo three weeks ago.
Mr Shiyam's body was found mutilated and with gunshot wounds in a rural area near the capital.
The BBC's Charles Haviland, in Colombo, says the authorities very rarely carry through investigations implicating such senior officials or policemen.
Mr Shiyam, a father of three involved in the footwear business, had gone missing after dining with a friend named as M Fouzdeen in a Colombo suburb.
CCTV evidence was used to implicate Mr Fouzdeen in the case.
He was arrested and is said to have confessed to arranging a contract killing carried out by a group of police.
Only after that did the victim's family learn of his fate.
Local media report that Mr Fouzdeen alleged the involvement of a middleman "known to associate with many high-ranking police officers".
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) says it is holding Mr Gunawardena on charges including murder for financial gain and conspiracy to kill.
Several of his subordinate police are also being held and two weapons from his office have been impounded.
The brother-in-law of the victim is believed to be a close friend of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
After the president ordered swift action on the case it was taken up by the CID.
Mr Gunawardena was already a controversial figure after he and his family were accused of assaulting a student in 2009.
The student, Nipuna Ramanayake, has cases pending at the Supreme Court and the Appeal Court concerning the incident.
Mr Gunawardena and his family deny the accusations.
Wednesday, 12 June 2013.jpg)
Former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka said today the Police Chief N.K. Illangakone should take responsibility for the conduct of his subordinates including the high ranking police officers who are alleged to have been involved in killing several Sri Lankans.“If the Police Chief is doing his job properly this sort of thing can’t happen. The fact that a DIG had allegedly committed such crimes speaks volumes of the administrative problems faced within the department and therefore the Police Chief has to take direct responsibility for what’s happening,” he said.
The war hero and veteran soldier said the Police Chief should not pander to politicians and their whims and fancies which is evident in the current scenario.
“The Police Chief should not pamper politicians so as to safeguard his job. If that’s what he is doing then he is an unsuccessful as a Police Chief and has failed in his duty to the people. We urge him to take action against other senior officers who also might be involved in such crimes” Mr. Fonseka said.
He said he feared that DIG Vaas Gunawardena would also be made a state witness and thus be allowed to get off scot free.
“We have seen how extortionists, murderers and other criminals have been set free and I fear this might also happen in this case. The arrested DIG is a close confidant of a top defense official and this is why he was appointed DIG despite his questionable record,” he said. By Sanath Desmond - See more at: http://www.dailymirror.lk/news/30794-igp-responsible-for-conduct-of-errant-police-officers-sf-.html#sthash.ms2hgKXH.dpuf
