Conflicting reports on Madush: CID officers fly to Dubai

Two senior Criminal Investigation Department ( CID) officials will fly to Dubai on a fact- finding mission over the arrest of millionaire drug lord Makandure Madush.

A senior Police official who did not want to be identified said the visit was strictly to determine facts since there had been a series of conflicting reports.

The official made clear that so far Dubai authorities including the police had not conveyed anything officially to Sri Lanka Police. The remarks make clear that a report of recent raids by the Sri Lankan Police and the Dubai counterparts is false. "Since we have not been officially informed about the arrests, it is not possible for us to assist in the investigations," he said.

Meanwhile, instructions have gone out from Police Headquarters that information about arrests related to associates of Madush should be channeled through the Police media spokesman’s office in view of various claims made by different police agencies and Police stations.

Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said the instructions had gone out to ensure that there were no misleading reports from different police agencies.

In one of the latest incidents, three people were arrested by the Mahabage Police and described as close associates of Madhush, but it was revealed that they were three ordinary cannabis users.

In a separate incident in Kamburupitiya, Police had detected some of the camouflage uniforms from a suspect reportedly connected with Madush, but the police had displayed weapons detected in another raid with the uniforms.

Police Headquarters this week confirmed that in the Gonawala area, they found two vehicles belonging to a relative of Madhush.