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Kelaniya PS members seek police security fearing reprisals
View(s):CID details how attack was carried out, escape planned
By Damith Wickremasekara
The Kelaniya Pradeshiya Sabha members have sought additional police security from the Inspector General of Police in fear of reprisal attacks on them after the slaying of one of their colleagues and the arrest of the key suspects involved in the shooting.
The request came as the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) continued its investigations into the killing of Hasitha Madawala after arresting five main suspects including the gunman identified as Rangana Perera.
Chathura Dhanushka, member of the Kelaniya Pradeshiya Sabha told the Sunday Times information had been given about persons including Minister Mervyn Silva’s coordinating secretaries who were terminated from service and who were allegedly involved in various criminal activities including extortions, enabling the CID to carry out a further probe.“In view of the current situation we have asked for more security,” he said.
A senior CID official told the Sunday Times the investigations carried out so far have revealed that the chief suspect had a dispute with Mr. Madawala after his mother had been allegedly assaulted by the PS member.
The chief suspect had claimed that his mother had been assaulted when she called over at the Kelaniya Pradeshiya Sabha office.
However the CID is continuing investigations to ascertain whether there were other motives for carrying out the killing.
Minister Silva has resigned from the Kelaniya organiser’s post pending the investigations. Meanwhile, the CID this week filed a detailed report on how the killing was carried out, the escape of the suspects and how the arrests were made.
The chief suspect Rangana Perera was arrested at the Bandaranaike International Airport at Katunayake on Sunday while he was preparing to leave for Singapore.
The chief suspect along with one of his friends, Ashen Chathuranga, had come on a motorcycle while Rangana’s father had been sent in advance in a three-wheeler to carry out a surveillance to find out whether Mr. Madawala was present at home.
Soon after the killing the chief suspect had visited Saman Nishaman and Rangana’s uncle Sarath Kumara Edirisinha in the Kiribathgoda area
The funeral of the slain Kelaniya PS member was held on Wednesday. Pic by Nilan Maligaspe
He had met Nishaman and told him that he had shot dead Madawala and wanted him and his accomplice Ashen Chathuranga, who had ridden the motorcycle, to be taken to a location in Negombo.
Thererafter Nishaman had taken the two suspects to Negombo. They had left at a restaurant owned by Sarath Kumara Edirisinha the helmets worn by the two suspects while the pistol used for the crime had been taken to the suspect’s relative Raja Fernando’s residence in Negombo.
The motor cycle used for the crime was initially parked at the residence of Nishaman, but later taken to Negombo and handed over to the chief suspect in Negombo.
The motor cycle and the pistol were taken into custody along with Sarath Kumara and Nishaman who had helped the chief suspect. The money required for the air ticket for the suspect to travel to Singapore and 1,000 US dollars for his expenses had been provided by Sarath Kumara.
Inquries revealed that the pistol had been provided by the son of Sarath Kumara who is in Singapore.
The CID told courts that Nishaman and Sarath Kumara had helped the suspects to escape and had helped to conceal the weapon and the motorcycle used, both key pieces of evidence in the killing and failed to inform the police about the incident.
Another weapon – a 7.62 mm pistol, 49 bullets and two magazines hidden in the residence of Ashen Chathuranga were also found. The other suspects arrested are Hemantha Kumara Perera who served as the three-wheeler driver to carry out the surveillance.
On Wednesday, the Police raided a house in Kelaniya where a Sri Lanka Freedom Party office is also located and detected two swords and a hand grenade.
Minister Mervyn Silva declined to comment. The case is due to be taken up on Wednesday.
Additional reporting by Manopriya Gunasekara
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