Inspector arrested for the abduction of two Galle businessmen

COLOMBO (News 1st) -  The Criminal Investigations Department arrested an Inspector of Police who is suspected to be involved in the abduction of two businessmen from Ratgama, Galle. SP Ruwan Gunasekara, Police Media Spokesperson noted that based on the evidence gathered by the investigations, the inspector of the Southern Province Special Investigations Unit Kapila Nishantha de Silva was arrested by the Criminal Investigations Department last evening(February 18). He was arrested due to allegations of abducting these two businessmen. Right now he is in the custody of the CID. The CID will conduct further investigations into this incident. This officer will be brought before the Galle Magistrates court today (February 19). It has been twenty-seven days since the two businessmen Manjula Asela and Rashin Chintaka disappeared. They were abducted from the residence of Manjula Asela. The relatives of the missing persons repeatedly claim that a group attired in a uniform similar to the Police uniform carrying firearms escorted the two persons out of their home. An anonymous letter received a week ago stated that the two persons were abducted by a special unit attached to the office of the senior DIG of the Southern Province. The letter further stated that one of the abductees had been assaulted and tortured leading to his death and the other victim was killed as he was a witness to his friend's death. The van that was suspected of being used to commit the abduction was discovered by the CID in Gonamulla, Udugama. The News 1st team found that a van and a motor car was used in the abduction of these two businessmen. There are a few access roads to Ratgama. A CCTV camera fixed on one access road captured the van entering Ratgama. But it does not capture the van leaving Ratgama using the same route. The van described in the anonymous letter bears resemblance to the van captured on CCTV footage. "Pas Anura" who is another businessman in the same area is suspected to be the owner of this van. When the News 1st checked with 'Pas Anura' he said that he has nothing to say regarding the matter and that they were in hiding. Meanwhile, CCTV footage has also been discovered of another person named "Chutte" loitering around the house of the abducted persons on the very same morning they were abducted. "Chutte" is said to have close ties with the police. Meanwhile, a relative of Rasheen Chinthaka had claimed that just three minutes after the abduction that a policeman in civilian clothes and who is attached to the Rathgama police had stood opposite their house and taken a call. When the relatives had mentioned of the abduction to him he had appeared to acknowledge the fact and had walked off the scene. The police officer who was on the call asked him whether they took both of them and left the scene. Although the Galle Assistant Superintendent of Police Sathis Gamage made a statement saying that the two persons were arrested on the 5th of this month, it was revealed on the 14th that such an incident did not happen. Manjula's wife sharing her views with the News 1st team said that after their protest on the 26th, Sathis Gamage had asked the protesters to give him a week to solve the case. When they went on the 3rd again, he had asked them not to worry as both of them were in their custody. The relatives had again gone to the police station on 5th, and they were told that Manjula and Chintaka will be handed over to CID for further questioning. The OIC had also mentioned that the letter was probably sent as a scare tactic. Senior DIG of Southern Province, Ravi Wijegunawardena was transferred to Colombo recently. Investigations into the incident have now been forwarded to the Criminal Investigation Department.

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