21 Wanathamulla suspects granted bail

Police spokesman had confirmed at a media briefing that 33 suspects were arrested from ‘T20 Watte on Saturday

A Colombo Court yesterday released on bail 21 people arrested at Wanathamulla on charges of drug trafficking and criminal activities and directed the aggrieved parties to complain to the police about the six people who are said to be missing.

Additional Magistrate Praharsha Ranasinghe also remanded two others when the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) produced 23 suspects in Court.

They were arrested after a search operation at ‘T-20 Watte’ near Baseline Mawatha in Wanathamulla on Saturday.

CCD detectives said 27 were arrested and four were released on Police bail.

They said the investigations were not over as the police had to verify reports from police stations in the area.

Counsel Gunaratna Wanninayake and Ajith Pathirana who appeared for the defence said the factual case and the history of the incident was different from what the police had alleged.

They said on April 14 there was a brawl between four police officers who were in civvies and two residents of “T 20 Watte”. The counsel said the police officers were in civvies.

On the next day those involved in the brawl were arrested near a supermarket at Dematagoda and after being assaulted

Later the Borella Police, Dematagoda Police and STF in a joint operation had arrested the residents who were sleeping in the houses

On April 14 there was a brawl between four police officers who were in civvies and two residents of “T 20

Watte

they were ordered to kneel down at the Zebra Crossing.

Later the Borella Police, Dematagoda Police and STF in a joint operation had arrested the residents who were sleeping in the houses.

The counsel said those who were arrested were assaulted and heroin and bombs introduced to frame charges against them.

They told the Magistrate that the Police had arrested 33 people, four of whom were released on police bail but the whereabouts of six others were not known.

The police rejected these allegations and said they had arrested only 27 people but the defence counsel pointed out that even the Police spokesman had confirmed at a media briefing that 33 suspects were arrested from ‘T20 Watte’ during the raid. The CCD inspector who prosecuted said that they were arrested by the Dematagoda police and were in remand but this statement was flatly rejected by counsel

Attorney–at–law Udul Premaratna of Activists for Human Rights watched the interest of the aggrieved parties.

T-20 Watte residents seen protesting outside the Magistrate’s Court over the arrest of 33 residents by the CCD. Pic by Pradeep Pathirana.

Parents of youth taken into custody in Borella during a search operation carried out by the Police, lodged complaints against 16 police stations at the Human Rights Commission yesterday. They also urged the police to release them claiming that they...