CID to quiz Prisons Chief

by Sarath Malalasekera

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) conducting investigations into the escape of a remand prisoner from the Welikada remand prison will question Commissioner General of Prisons Rumy Marzook today.

According to CID investigations, Senerath Banda Ranasinghe, a remand prisoner, had escaped while he was working near the Prisons headquarters on Vesak Poya Day last year. The investigators said that Ranasinghe was earlier arrested by the CID and had been handed over to the Welikada Remand Prison.

He had escaped from custody while working outside the Prisons headquarters. On the directive of IGP Chandra Fernando, CID DIG Lionel Gunatilleke had deployed a special team to trace Ranasinghe.

The Daily News understands that two Prison employees responsible for the remand prisoner's escape had been found guilty after an internal inquiry.

Welikada is a tightly guarded high-security prison. Police are probing as to how the prisoner evaded such tight security measures in his daring escape.

Several previous attempted breakouts from Welikada have ended in failure.