Video: Wellampitiya OIC alleges political hand behind arrest

7 January 2014 08:43 am

Counsel for the Wellampitya OIC, who was detained by the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) on drug peddling charges, today alleged that two politicians were behind his arrest as revenge for not releasing three drug dealers whom he had arrested on December 31.

Counsel Gunaratne Wanninayake appearing with a team of lawyers for the Wellampitiya OIC Badara Munasinghe told Additional Magistrate Nirosha Fernando that on December 31 the OIC had arrested three leading drug dealers in the area including a female drug peddler named Chandanie Jeewanthie alias Dhoni. He said a politician and a secretary of a politician in the area had called the OIC on his mobile phone number 078 3446331 and him to release the three suspects.

The Counsel said because the OIC had not released them, the politician had retaliated by using his influence to have the OIC arrested.

He said the OIC during his tenure at Wellampitiya had arrested more than 3,000 criminals and among them were more than 250 drug dealers who had been punished by the courts. The counsel said the OIC was arrested while on duty by the Police Special Crime Investigation Unit.

He said so called drug was a chemical and it was not confiscated from his custody or from his home. The Police had arrested the OIC on an order from the IGP.

The counsel said if the OIC wanted to earn money through illegal manners he would have taken bribes from e drug dealers regularly without peddling in heroin.
He said the CCD had checked the OIC’s bank balance to find that the account did not have anything more than his monthly salary.(FT)

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