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| Saturday, 3 August 2002 |
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by Sarath Malalasekera The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) yesterday produced Thangaiya Sathasivam Pushparaja of Rajasinghe Road, Wellawatte, the suspect in the killing of Multi-Millionaire businessman and estate owner Vaithalingam Niranjan, a cousin of Minister Arumugam Thondaman, before the Colombo Fort Magistrate and Additional District Judge Priyantha Fernando who remanded him till August 14. Niranjan was shot dead opposite a hotel in Kollupitiya on Wednesday night by an unknown gunman. A .38 bullet was recovered from the victim's skull at the post-mortem. The CID who took over the investigation into the killing on the direction of IGP Lucky Kodituwakku yesterday told the Judge that their investigations revealed that the deceased had made a complaint to the Pundolu Oya Police on July 29 that he had received a number of death threats from a another estate owner in the Nuwara-Eiya district. The CID also said that a share transaction case in connection with ten thousand acres in Ramboda between the deceased and the suspect is pending before the Colombo District Court. Earlier investigations directed by Colombo DIG Bodhi Liyanage and conducted by Senior SP Deepal Herath and ASP J.R. Jayewardene revealed that Niranjan had come to Colombo from his Ramboda estate with his driver on Wednesday for business purposes. While he was sipping a lime juice in the vehicle that he was travelling from up country, an unknown gunman had fired him at point blank. Investigators are trying to ascertain whether this is a contract killing over a business issue. The Judge directed the CID to submit a report in connection with their ongoing investigations on August 14. Mrs. Deemani Baddewela and Jayantha Dias Nanayakkara appeared for the suspect. |
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