YOUTH ALLEGEDLY ABDUCTED IN HIRUNIKA’S DEFENDER: POLICE

A 26-year-old youth employed in a Dematagoda drapery store was abducted in broad daylight by an unidentified gang that came in a Land Rover Defender, which was allegedly owned by Parliamentarian Hirunika Premachandra, Police Spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said yesterday.

ASP Gunasekara said a gang of about six men in a Defender bearing registration number 62-1859 had forcibly taken away a youth employed as a sales person in the drapery store around 2.30 pm yesterday.

The youth identified as U. Priyankara is a resident of Sewanagala and is temporarily boarded in Kolonnawa, police said. The owners of the drapery store had immediately informed the Dematagoda Police about the abduction and a special police team had initiated inquiries. The police who obtained the vehicle registration number of the Defender from surrounding CCTV camera images had learnt from the Department of Motor Traffic that the vehicle was registered under MP Hirunika Premachandra’s name. Dematagoda Police contacted the UNP Parliamentarian to learn that the vehicle was registered under her name about 12 days ago and it belonged to her. ASP Gunasekara also said that an investigation was underway by the Dematagoda Police in connection with the abduction.

He said the MP who appeared not to know anything about the incident involving her vehicle had agreed to send her subordinates to the Dematagoda Police Station along with the vehicle yesterday evening.

However, the condition or whereabouts of the abducted youth was yet to be established by late last night.