Six Naval intelligence officers have provided information in connection with the Navy abductions case giving an impetus to the investigations, Criminal Investigations Department sources said.
According to the CID, the six intelligence officers of the Navy had volunteered to give evidence in the past two months providing investigators information on the fate of 11 youth abducted by the Navy for a ransom gang led by the main accused, Lt. Commander Chandana Prasad Hettiarachchi alias Navy Sampath in 2008.
Based on the latest evidence and information, the CID’s Gang Robbery Unit has its sights on arresting five more suspects in the case. Of the six, three officers had given evidence in camera before Colombo Fort Magistrate Ranga Disanayake, while the other three gave statements before Colombo Fort acting Magistrate Priyantha Liyanage.
The officers had served in the Colombo and Trincomalee Naval Commands at the time of the incident.
“We were able to elicit more information where the youth were held and corroborate with other evidence provided previously by witnesses,” CID sources told the Sunday Observer yesterday. According to the official, investigators had faced obstacles in obtaining information from the Navy in the case.
However, the arrest of Chief of Defence Staff Ravindra Wijegunaratne by the CID in November 2018 appears to be some new found confidence in the investigators. As a result, those within the Navy have provided information to the CID. According to the official, this has given a much-needed boost to the investigations of the CID.
“Five more suspects will be arrested in the near future as a result,” the source said.
While the case against three of the main suspects, including Hettiarachchi who was arrested by the CID, was taken up at the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, all three were further remanded till February 7.
Although an identification parade was due to be held to identify Petty Officer Upul Chaminda alias Annachchi and Seaman Sanjeewa Senanayake, it was later postponed as the witness was unable to be present in court.
Petty Officer Upul Chaminda is being charged on four counts of having demanded a ransom from the relatives of the abducted youth to avoid killing them, having obtained a ransom of Rs. 500,000 from the wife of an abducted person in the Kadahapola area, threatening a relative of an abducted person with weapons and extorting Rs. 500,000 from him in the Thambalagamuwa area and the killing 11 youth.
Seaman Sanjeewa Senanayake is charged with aiding and abetting in the abduction, illegal detention, demanding a ransom and killing 11 youth.