Arrest warrant on DIG’S son
The Police and Criminal Investigation Department ( CID) are on the look out for former DIG Vass Gunawardena’s son Ravindu as the Kaduwela Magistrate had issued an arrest warrant on him in connection with the abduction of and assault on Malabe IT student Nipuna Ramanayake in 2009 and for his alleged involvement with the killing of a businessman in Bambalapitiya.
Police Spokesman SP Buddhika Siriwardane said on Friday the Police and the CID teams were deployed to arrest Ravindu who was the main suspect in the abduction and assault case and was also named a suspect last in the abduction and murder case of businessman Mohamed Siyam.
Kaduwela Magistrate Wasantha Jinadasa issued a warrant to arrest Ravindu as he was absent when the case was called in the Kaduwela Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.
The court noted that only three suspect Police officers were present at the inquiry in which victim Nipuna Ramanayake was to give evidence.
The Court also noted that the proceedings could not go on as the main suspect was on bail under strict conditions and issued the warrant to arrest Ravindu Gunawardena.
Last Tuesday the CID inquiring into the killing of the businessman informed the Colombo Magistrate’s Court that former Colombo North DIG Gunawardena had illegally ob- tained call details originatlng from the mobile telephones belonging to his wife, son and the police officers who worked under him.
CID ASP Shani Abeysekera told Colombo Additional Magistrate Mohamed Sahabdeen that the suspect has obtained these call details from the mobile telephone companies on the pretext that they were needed for investigations involving a robbery in the Mahara Magistrate’s Court.
These call details were by no means relevant to the investigations into the robbery case, IP Upul Samarasinghe had said in a statement given to the CID, Mr. Abeysekera told the court.
The investigations have revealed that one IP Harishchandra had handed over these details directly to the former DIG, Mr. Abeysekara informed the court.
The CID also informed the court that the involvement of former DIG ‘ s son Ravindu was being investigated and said the CID has visited his house in Nedimala to arrest him. However the former DIG’s wife had interfered with the CID in its duties.
Tendering a further report on the progress of the investigations Mr. Abeysekera told court that statements have been recorded from around 18 people during the past two weeks. Two revolvers which were in the possession of the suspects and parts of the dead businessman’s mobile phone recovered from a canal belonging had also been sub- mitted to the Government Analyst, he said.
The parts of the skull of the dead man and the blood samples obtained at the inquest too had been sent to the Government Analyst, he informed court.
He also said that the CID recovered ten bullets of the revolver issued to SI Bamunusinghe who was in detention.
Answering a query by counsel Anura Seneviratne appearing for suspects Krishantha Vishwaraj Korale, SI Lakmini Indika Bamunusinghe and Police Constable Rangana Dissanayake, he said the President as the Minister of Defence had signed the detention orders.
Although the CID was conducting investigations in terms of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPA), his clients were detained for a long time under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), charged Counsel Anura Seneviratne, adding that the CID was misusing the PTA to detain the suspects for a long time.
The CID should reveal whether the investigations are done under the PTA or CPA If the CID was conducting the investigations under the PTA then the statements made to the Magistrate by the suspects should not be taken into c0nsideration. In case the CID conducted the investigations under the CPA, then the suspects should be remanded and the detention orders should be cancelled, he said.
The court should issue notice to the Attorney General (AG) to appear in the case pro- ceedings counsel Nalinda Indatissa appearing for the aggrieved party, the family members of the deceased, told court.
The AG displayed a lukewarm attitude toward the investigations; the counsel alleged adding that the AG has failed to send a representative to the proceedings of a murder case in which a very senior Police officer is a suspect.
He also said that the detention orders are valid for another 38 days. The CID had to conduct the investigations under various threats and denied the charges that the detention orders were obtained on false grounds, he said.
Counsel Ajith Pathirana appearing for suspect Vass Gunawardane told court the CID has searched his house without a search warrant. Although the Police could arrest a suspect in a house without a search warrant they should have a warrant to search a house, he further pointed out.
Counsel further said that if his client’s son is needed for questioning, he is prepared to produce him in court.
ASP Abeysekara made an application to further remand the suspect Vass Gunawardena as the CID was investigating to recover the pistol used in the killing.
The additional Magistrate ordered the CID to inform the court on July 19, whether the proceedings were being conducted under the Criminal Procedure Code or the Prevention of Terrorism Act.