JSC Secretary assault: Police obtain fingerprints of suspects

Chamikara WEERASINGHE

Police have obtained the fingerprints of the suspects involved in Sunday’s attack on Judicial Services Commission Secretary Manjula Tillekeratna, from his car.

Police Spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana yesterday said the fingerprints of two suspects are now with them to proceed with investigations. The finger impressions were taken from JSC Secretary Tillekeratna’s car.

Tillekeratna was admitted to the Colombo National Hospital with injuries to his face and fingers of his right arm following Sunday’s attack by four unidentified armed persons.

The suspects had attacked Tillekeratna while he was reading a newspaper in his parked car near S Thomas’ College after dropping his wife and child at the school to participate in a school event.

SSP Rohana said besides taking fingerprints of the suspects from Tillekeratna’s vehicle, they have recorded four statements about the incident. Police investigations are continuing. The Colombo Crime Division has been assigned to the task of bringing the suspects to justice.

Meanwhile, some judges today refrained from performing their duties to protest against the attack on Judicial Services Commission Secretary Tillekaratna. This led to a situation of court cases at the Colombo High Courts being postponed to October 22 and the Magistrate’s Court cases being postponed to October 12, sources at the Colombo High Courts told the Daily News. Asked to comment on the situation, Acting Attorney General Yuanjana Wijetilaka said the Attorney General’s Department first had to get a report on the investigation from the Police before it can make any statement regarding the incident.

“The Criminal Investigations Department has to complete the investigation and it has to be referred to us,” he added.