Suspect in Sivaram killing further remanded
 

by Sarath Malalasekera

Kaduwela Additional Magistrate Lakmal Wickremasuriya yesterday further remanded Armugam Sri Skandarajah alias Peter, the suspect in the killing of journalist Dharmalingam Sivaram, till August 30.

On an application by Razeed Zarook who appeared with Senaka Wettasinghe for PLOTE leader D. Siddharthan the Magistrate Wickremasuriya directed the Police to released the vehicle which was taken into custody belonged to PLOTE leader D. Siddharthan on a bond of Rs. 5 million. Earlier the Kaduwela Magistrate who returned a verdict of homicide stated that death was due to firearm injuries caused to the head of Sivaram.

Sub Inspector R. M. A. Rajapaksa of the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) filing a further report submitted to court that they have not yet recovered the vehicle in which the victim had been abducted and the main suspect who is alleged to have killed Sivaram. Investigations into the killing is also not yet completed, SI Rajapaksa said.

Earlier investigators questioned over 125 persons in connection with the killing of Sivaram, editor of TamilNet and Daily Mirror columnist who wrote under the pseudonym 'Taraki'.

The CCD has received several vital clues in connection with the killing. On the direction of IGP Chandra Fernando, the CCD had deployed three police teams to conduct investigations into these clues. Police recovered the bullet riddled body of Sivaram abducted by unknown persons near the Diyawanna Oya in Battaramulla area.