SL businessman, wife abducted in B’desh for $ 20 Mn ransom

• Ananda Pathirana and Princy Pathirana were rescued with great effort with prompt assistance from B’desh police

Ananda Pathirana, a well-known businessman in Sri Lanka’s ornamental fish export industry, and his wife, Princy Pathirana, were abducted on Wednesday during a visit to Bangladesh, and the perpetrators, identified as an extortion gang, had demanded a ransom of 20 million dollars for their release.  

Upon receiving information from the Sri Lankan High Commission in Bangladesh, the Sri Lankan government swiftly launched a special rescue operation, following direct instructions from President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.  

The operation was coordinated by Defence Secretary Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd), Chief of National Intelligence Major General Ruwan Wanigasooriya (Retd) and Mr. Sunil Silva of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Their efforts were supported by Sri Lankan High Commissioner Dharmapala Weerakkody who played a key role in the coordination.  

The couple were successfully rescued in a rapid operation carried out with the assistance of the Bangladeshi police. They are currently under police protection in Bangladesh and arrangements have been finalized to bring them back to Sri Lanka yesterday.   

The successful rescue was made possible by the swift and decisive actions of the relevant Sri Lankan authorities, with the full cooperation and support of the Bangladeshi government.