22 August 2019 12:55 pm
Acting IGP C.D. Wickremeratne today handed over the reports on six high-profile cases including those on the murders of Wasim Thajudeen and Lasantha Wickrematunge to Attorney General (AG) Dappula de Livera, Police Spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said.
Addressing the media, he said the cases were the murders of Lasantha Wickrematunge and Wasim Thajudeen, abductions of journalist Keith Noyahr and Prageeth Eknaligoda, the disappearance of 11 youths and the murders of 17 aid workers in Muthur.
This came following the AG’s instruction to Acting IGP Wickremeratne to expeditiously conclude investigations into the aforesaid cases as the probes had not been completed despite continuous reminders. Last week, the Acting IGP directed the Senior DIG in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to submit a full report based on eleven criteria on the cases before August 23.
Responding to a question raised by a journalist, the spokesman said conducting investigations into the high-profile cases was taken over by the CID several years after the incidents.
"Probing the separate cases is very complicated. A specific date cannot be mentioned as the deadline to conclude investigations into the cases except for the one dealing with the abduction of journalist Keith Noyahr. Relevant officers have informed that the probe on Keith Noyahr would be completed in two months. Extracts of investigations into the disappearance of 11 youths, murders of 17 aid workers, the murder of Wasim Thajudeen, abduction of journalist Keith Noyahr and the disappearance of journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda were submitted to the AG's Department. The complete extracts of the probe on Lasantha Wickrematunge’s murder have not been submitted to the AG's Department yet, though separate investigations into the case are being conducted," he said.
The Acting IGP had informed the CID to enlighten him, through a daily progress report, of court hearings on these cases. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)
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