Attack on Udayan: Six taken into custody

Rafik Jalaldeen

JAFFNA: Six suspects have been taken into custody in connection with the armed attack on the Udayan newspaper office in which two persons were killed.

The suspects, all youth in their 20s, were arrested within hours of the incident following a joint Army-Police search operation.

The suspects were produced before court yesterday and subjected to an identification parade. The attackers wore masks during the attack which left the Newspaper's Marketing Executive and a Circulation section employee dead.

The attackers had arrived in three motorcycles carrying heavy weapons. They stormed the premises of the Newspaper and sprayed several rounds of fire before fleeing. The Marketing Executive was hit on the chest while the other victim was shot point blank. Two others who were injured are at the Jaffna Teaching hospital.

The fleeing attackers had also opened fire at a nearby Army Checkpoint.

The army officers retaliated, injuring two suspects. During the Army fire one of the attackers had dropped his T56, Jaffna Police said.

The Udayan Newspaper is located on a parallel road around 750 m away from the closest Army check point.

The Newspaper is located along Kasthuriya road and the army check point is on the Kankesanthurai road (KKS). The Udayan Newspaper office is out of view from the KKS road and the checkpoint.

A spokesperson from the Udayan newspaper told the Daily News that the attackers who came on motorbikes opened fire randomly targeting Udayan staffers. "Two of our staffers were killed and two others injured. Many computers, equipment, appliances and printing equipment were destroyed," he said.

The deceased are 36-year-old Bakthijan George Sahayaraj (Marketing Executive) a father of two and Circulation Supervisor S. Ranjith (25) who was newly married. The injured are S. Udayakumar (48) and N. Dayagaran (24). They are being treated at the IC unit of the Jaffna Teaching hospital.