One arrested in Dehiwala railway blast
Rafik Jalaldeen
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Eighteen persons were injured in the explosion.
Picture by Rukmal Gamage
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COLOMBO: Police yesterday arrested one suspect in connection with the
parcel bomb which exploded injuring 18 including three women.
The parcel bomb targeting a Colombo bound office train from Panadura
was set off last morning in Wasela Mawatha between Dehiwela and
Wellawatte.
Police Media Spokesman SSP Ranjith Gunasekera said a major disaster
was averted when the LTTE cadre's attempt to place the bomb along the
railway track in between Dehiwela and Wellawatte around 7.20 a.m. was
failed by people in the area.
"Two vigilant civilians passing by observed a man carrying a
suspicious parcel and attempting to place it at the railway track.
When they shouted, the man threw the bomb and the remote control
device to the railway track and fled," he added.
A packed train from Panadura bound to Colombo was passing by when the
bomb exploded. "Most of the injured were men who were on the foot-board
of the train," SSP Gunasekera said.
He said the number of injured were less as the bomb was thrown to the
railway track and not the train. The injured were admitted to the
Kalubowila Hospital.
The railway track and the train were damaged in the blast. Railway
services resumed after several minutes of the explosion.
Military Spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said three Police
teams have been deployed to conduct investigations.
Deputy Head of the Government Analyst W.D.G.S. Gunathilaka told the
Daily News that the bomb weighing 2.5kg was a high explosive charger
packed in a parcel. "The charger bomb was detonated using a remote
control device," he added.
"We believe that the LTTE targeted the Colombo bound passenger train
from Panadura. Vigilant civilians averted a major calamity," he added.
Police and Army cordoned off the area and found a remote control
device from the scene.
"Sniffer dogs were deployed to track the bomber and Police and Army
jointly launched a search operation," SSP Gunasekera said.
Kalubowila Hospital sources said several people wounded following the
explosion left the hospital after treatment.
The LTTE exploded a parcel bomb inside a Panadura bound office train
in Dehiwala Station on May 26, which killed nine civilians including a
pregnant woman and injuring 84 others.
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