Danuna Tilakaratne still at large

Five special CID teams deployed to arrest him:

Kumudu Hettiarachchi

Danuna Tilakaratne, son- in-law of General Sarath Fonseka is still at large absconding from the Courts and the police. A warrant has been issued for his arrest for defrauding a sum of US dollars 2,99,061.25 by forwarding forged documents to the Army. Although the CID has deployed five special teams to hunt him down he continues to elude the law to the surprise of many.

Colombo Fort Magistrate Ms.Lanka Jayaratne on February 10 issued an order barring Danuna from leaving the country, to the Commissioner of Immigration and Emigration.The CID says it has so far raided six locations where the suspect had taken refuge and obtained the statements of persons and relatives who had harboured him at these addressees.

The CID has already brought charges against the grandmother of Danuna for providing shelter to the suspect while a warrant had already been issued for his arrest.

CID investigations have revealed that the money defrauded by HICORP Private Limited had been transferred to British Borneo Defence Australia in America and that the holder of this account was Danuna Tilakaratne owner of HICORP International. The transaction was confirmed even by the directors of HICORP Pvt Ltd.

The Magistrate also rejected the anticipatory bail application by Danuna’s lawyer Muditha Abeyratne.

Subsequently on three occasions Danuna Thilakaratne was ordered to report at the CID for a statement but the suspect had so far failed to present himself before the Courts or the CID. The Court repeatedly issued warrants for the arrest of the suspect due to his continuous failure to respond to the summons taking into account the submissions of the CID.

The CID says it has obtained the assistance of Interpol to trace the whereabouts of the suspect.

Inspection of Danuna’s Bank accounts on a Court order revealed that the transfer of the defrauded money to British Borneo Defence Australia was carried out through the Bank of Ceylon.

The Magistrate has already rejected the bail application of director of HICORP Ltd. Valentine Trenton Dehoedt who is already in protective custody in connection with defrauding US dollars 2,99,061.25 by forwarding four suspicious tenders to the Army.

He has already given a statement to the CID that the suspicious tenders were forwarded on the instructions of Danuna Thilakaratne.