Unearthing a case of love, greed and murder
Police deserter, Thusitha Kumarasinha was having his hair cut in a saloon in Pelawatte when he was abducted in July last year. Hours later, he was killed and his body weighted with stones was tethered to a tree and dumped in the Kelani river at Kithulgala.
A week later, the body surfaced, but there were no claimants for the body. The body was dispatched to the morgue at Kegalle hospital. Three months later, the postmortem revealed that death was by strangulation. The burial took place in Kegalle at state expense.
Soon after the abduction, the victim’s brother, Dhanushka Kumarasinha, lodged a complaint at the Thalangama police station. A month later he lodged a complaint with the Inspector General of Police (IGP) claiming dissatisfaction with the investigation.
Police arrested the driver of the vehicle in which the abduction was reportedly carried out and traced the vehicle- a hired jeep. Police claimed that according to the vehicle driver, an expolice officer had ‘staged’ the abduction and therefore, dropped the investigations.
About two months back, at a breakfast meeting with newspaper editors, the issue was raised with President Mahinda Rajapaksa. He promptly called Police Chief Illangakoon and inquired about the progress of the case, and was told the same version given by the Thalangama police.
Subsequently, the IGP ordered the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) to conduct a probe on the incident.
The CCD reopened the investigation and arrested the driver, who claimed he was employed by a wealthy businesswoman and landed proprietor from Flower Road, Colombo 7, who had a longstanding affair with the late Police deserter, Thusitha Kumarasinha.
Two weeks ago the woman, Himali Karunaratne was arrested and more startling information was revealed.
Ms Karunaratne claimed that following the arrest of the driver and his revelations of the murder, she paid the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of Thalangama Police and the Crimes OIC of the station to cover up the investigations.
She claimed she deposited more than Rs 2.5 million for the OIC, Rs 265,000 for the Crimes OIC, Rs 200,000 and an expensive phone for a Police Sergeant, and another Sergeant who was about retire was paid Rs. 200,000 and given employment as a security officer at her residence.
She had sent her driver to deposit the money in the OIC’s bank account, while the others were paid in cash.
Ms Karunaratne reportedly claimed that she wanted to get rid of Thusitha, as he had started demanding money from her regularly.
He had been gifted a luxury apartment in an apartment complex in Narahenpita by Ms Karunaratne, while she regularly gave him money.
Thusitha had spent the money on his family members in Dambulla and his friends, and also purchased a vehicle.
Police are probing other assets of Thusitha.
The CCD, moving on the statements provided by the driver and Ms Karunaratne, arrested OIC Thalangama Police, Upul Perera, Crimes OIC K.P. Kodithuwakku and two others.
All the suspects were produced before Kaduwela Magistrate Wasantha Jinadasa and remanded till December 15.
CCD Director, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) D.R.L. Ranaweera directed investigations with OIC Neville de Silva, IP Duminda Kulasekara and IP Saman Pre
matillake conducting them.