News
CID makes breakthrough in abduction and murder of policeman
A special team of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) took into custody two ex-army personnel, an officer in the air force and a civilian on Friday (16) in connection with the abduction of two police constables and the murder of one of them. CID investigations revealed the gang involved in the abduction and murder had been involved in a series of robberies.
The house that the suspects had hidden in after committing the crime
The two constables -attached to the traffic control division, of Kurunegala police- were reportedly abducted by the four armed men while they were on duty on Kurunegala-Dambulla Road, earlier this month. They were taken to the Badagamuwa Forest Reserve in Kurunegala, stripped of their uniforms before one of them was shot dead.
PC Sampath Sisira Kumara, father of two, was killed on May 07 during the incident while the other PC Ajith Weerasooriya escaped with injuries.
Investigations revealed an airman had taken out a contract to kill PC Weerasooriya over an affair he had been having with the airman’s wife. The contract had been handed over to an underworld gang who planned the operation.
Sleuths also recovered the magazine of a T-56 weapon used in the shooting and masks said to have been used by the abductors in the place where the killings took place. Prior to the arrests CID learned the van in which the two police officers were abducted was rented by the gang and taken into custody in the Wennapuwa area.
The CID also revealed that the two army personnel –residents of Matara and Anuradhapura- had a history of being involved in crime and had been arrested in connection with several robberies. The duo had rented a house in Thimbirigaskatuwa, Negombo to carry out the killing. Pieces of the two constable’s uniforms were found in it by the CID. Meanwhile a three-wheel driver who helped the army personnel to rent out the house was also taken into custody. Questioning of the driver revealed that he (3-wheeler driver) had aided the army personnel to burn the police uniforms.
The deceased policeman was posthumously promoted and PC Weerasooriya is currently receiving treatment at the Police Hospital, Colombo.
The spot where the policemen’s uniforms were burned in the premises of the house
Two more suspects nabbed
By Shane Seneviratne
Two more suspects involved in the killing of a police constable in Kurunegala were arrested by the CID yesterday morning.A child and one suspect were injured during the arrests. The arrests were made after the CID traced the phone calls made by the two suspects. A special team was sent to Kandy when information was received that the two were hiding in the Teldeniya area.
One suspect was arrested at Kalugala in the Rangala police division and he gave away the hiding place of his associate.The CID located the other suspect when he was riding a motorcycle with his wife and an eight-year-old child on the pillion. The police said they had to open fire as the suspect tried to escape.
The child was hit on the arm and the suspect on his leg during the incident.
They are receiving treatment under police guard in the Kandy Hospital.