ONE BAILED, SEVEN RE-REMANDED

One of the eight suspects remanded on the charges of killing a tusker, ‘Galgamuwe Dalaputtuwa,’ was released on a personal bail of Rs.600,000 with two sureties each, and the others were further remanded by Maho Additional District Judge and Additional Magistrate Rasika Mallawarachchi.

The bailed, Herath Mudiyanselage Rambanda (65) of Moragollagama, was the eighth suspect. He was ordered to report to the Maho Police every Sunday.

Those further remanded were Rajapakse Mudiyanselage Asanka Senerath Bandara, Ratnamalala Irugal Bandaralage Ruwan Niroshana, Lokuwanselage Ajantha Amarajeewa, Dissanayake Mudiyanselage Nilantha Pushpakumara, K.P. Manjula Pradeep Jayasinghe, Herath Mudiyanselage Aravinda Bandara Herath and Vithanalage Chaminda Tilakaratne.

The judge granted the request of Deputy Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris for permission to obtain the passwords of the cellular phones belonging to the first and second suspects.

Attorney Kirthi G. Dunuwila requested the release of the suspects who had been on remand for 46 days, but the Deputy Solicitor General objected saying the case depended on circumstantial evidence and that investigations were ongoing.

He said a Buddhist monk who was wanted in connection for his alleged involvement in the incident had been hiding for more than one and a half months.