Archives

Anura Weerawansa arrested

by Sarath Malalasekera

Assistant Superintendent of Customs Anura Weerawansa, a prime suspect wanted by Police in connection with the murder of Assistant Superintendent of Customs Sujith Prasanna Perera, was arrested in the early hours of yesterday while he was hiding in a palatial house at Pokunuwita in the Horana police area, by a special team of the CID.

The CID also arrested a leading businesman, the owner of the palatial house at Pokunuwita, where the suspect Anura Weerawansa was hiding.

Anura Weerawansa had told the CID investigators that he left the country in a boat and returned to the country also in a boat from Negombo.

The CID investigators said that they are trying to ascertain the authenticity of the statement made by the suspect Weerwansa about his movements during the past several months.

The two suspects, Anura Weerawansa and the businessman will be handed over to the Gampaha Police who are conducting investigations into the killing of the Customs officer Prasanna Perera.

Customs officer Sujith Prasanna Perera was gunned down by two unidentified gunmen at Kiribathgoda-Peliyagoda junction on March 24, last year while he was returning from his mother-in-law's residence.

Anura Weerawansa, the prime suspect in the Customs Officer Prasanna Perera's murder, escaped to India in a boat from the Negombo beach while the Police were looking for him.

Earlier on several occasions suspect Weerawansa escaped arrest staying at a luxury flat at Rajagiriya during the festive season last year with a close woman friend and two of his relatives. He had left the luxury flat before the Police raided the place.

Meanwhile, the lawyers who were watching the interests of the missing Customs Officer Weerawansa earlier said that their client had been abducted by the Police and is now detained by them. But, DIG Daya Jayasundera who was incharge of the investigations into the murder of Customs Officer Sujith Perera totally denied the allegations by the lawyers of Customs Officer Weerawansa and said that they never arrested him.

On an earlier occasion Attorney-at-Law Bandula Wijesinghe complained to the Maradana Police that while he was on his way to meet Attorney at Law Hemantha Warnakulasuriya with his client Customs Officer Anura Weerawansa his client was abducted by a group of men at Norris Cannal Road, Colombo at gun point.

According to the complaint, Customs Officer Weerawansa wanted to surrender to the CID through his lawyers as he was wanted in connection with the murder of Assistant Superintendent of Customs Sujith Perera.

The Police will charge the four suspects who were taken into custody in connection with the murder of Customs Officer Prasanna Perera.

They are Kiribathgoda Vajira Indrajith, Thalgamahewage Nalinda Saman Udaya Kumar, Ratnayake Mudiyansela Piyasena Ratnayake and Arachchilage Don Priyantha alias Konde Chithra.

Eleven other suspects will be charged with aiding and abetting Anura Weerawansa to escape from the country, conspiracy, concealing evidence and harbouring the principal suspect Anura Weerawansa.

They are businessman A. C. Mohamed Mansoor, M. K. Francis Shelton Perera, M. Anthony Fernando, T. Anthony Perera, K. A. Samson Fernando, K. J. Anthony, David Loganathan, Deniyaya Dharmapala, Punchi Banda Dissanayake, N. Gamage Sunil and Mahindasena Ramanayake.

News | Business | Features | Editorial | Security
Politics | World | Letters | Sports | Obituaries |

Produced by Lake House
Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
Comments and suggestions to :Web Manager