Ransom case suspects re-remanded
by Sarath Malalasekera
The Colombo Fort Magistrate and Additional District Judge Sarath C.
Karunaratne refused an application for bail in respect of the three
suspects in the alleged Rs.15 million ransom case and re-remanded them
till July 18.
The three suspects are Wickremasinghe Koswattage Don Nihal Donal
alias Nawala Nihal, Fransico of Nawala and Atapattu alias Lalith of
Dematagoda.
The three suspects were arrested by the Colombo Crime Division (CCD)
for allegedly accepting a sum of Rs.15 million as ransom from two land
owners from the Welikada Police area. Earlier, Senior Defence Counsel
Denzil Gunaratne moving for bail on behalf of the suspects submitted to
court that none of the suspects demanded any ransom from any person.
This was only a money transaction in connection with a land which was
look after by Nawala Nihal for the last twenty years. President's
Counsel Wijedasa Rajapaksa, senior counsel for the complainant,
submitted to court that his client had not made any complaint to the
police in connection with the land transaction.
CCD Director Senior SP Sarath Lugoda objecting to the suspects being
released on bail said that the investigations commenced by the CCD on a
complainat made by a victim.
A special team attached to the CCD on the direction of Senior SP
Sarath Lugoda is conducting investigations.
ASP Rohana Jayawardena, Inspector Nuwan Wedisinghe, OIC, CCD, and
Sergeant Jayasena of the CCD appeared for the prosecution.
Denzil Gunaratne, Buddhika Jayasinghe and Udaya Shanthi Seneviratne
appeared for the suspects. |