Magisterial witness examination into the suspicious death of Kapila Chandrasena: CCTV at Aravinda de Silva’s residence was functional but not recording

• The magisterial witness examination into the suspicious death of former SriLankan Airlines CEO Kapila Chandrasena was held yesterday before Colombo Fort Magistrate Pasan Amarasena, during which six other witnesses testified before court 

By Bhagya Silva  

Former SriLankan Airlines CEO Kapila Chandrasena’s suspicious death took place at the residence of Aravinda de Silva, where CCTV cameras were operational, but the CCTV system had not been recording footage for a long period of time, and no footage of the location where the death occurred had been captured by the CCTV system, the Colombo Crimes Division informed Colombo Fort Magistrate Pasan Amarasena yesterday.   
The magisterial witness examination into the suspicious death of former SriLankan Airlines CEO Kapila Chandrasena was held yesterday before Colombo Fort Magistrate Pasan Amarasena, during which six other witnesses testified before court.   
Presenting a further report before court , the Colombo Crimes Division stated that on May 12, the Crimes Division had obtained a search warrant to inspect another residence belonging to the deceased and had carried out a search of the house. Thereafter, a laptop and several other documents found at the residence were produced before court yesterday as case productions.   
The Magistrate questioned the investigating officer as to whether CCTV footage from the location where the death occurred had been taken into police custody. In response, the officer stated that CCTV cameras at the residence of Aravinda de Silva, where the death occurred, were operational but informed court that the system had not been recording footage.   
However, the officer further informed court that all CCTV footage from nearby houses showing the entrance and exit routes to the residence had been taken into police custody.   
Evidence was recorded from five more witnesses during the witness examination in relation to Kapila Chandrasena.   
The fourth witness, Attorney-at-Law Priyantha Upali Amarasinghe, was the first person to see the body of the deceased, Kapila Chandrasena. Giving evidence yesterday, he presented the following facts before court,   
President’s Counsel Rienzie Arsecularatne, had telephoned the fourth witness, the Attorney-at-Law and informed him that a warrant had been issued against Kapila Chandrasena and that a motion should be filed in court the following day and Kapila should be produced before court. The witness Priyantha testified before court that President’s Counsel had informed him that on May 8 he had several cases before the Colombo High Court and the Court of Appeal and therefore instructed him to keep the motion “keep down” when it was taken up.   
He further stated that he had gone to Aravinda’s residence at around 7.15 a.m. and between 7.20 and 7.25 a.m. Aravinda had come downstairs and stated that Kapila was not answering his phone.   
He further stated that Aravinda had knocked on Kapila’s door but there had been no response. Thereafter, “I went upstairs. At that time Aravinda had gone to wash. I also knocked on the door and since there was no response, I asked Aravinda’s wife whether there was another key or a master key to open the door. Then she went and brought the master key and opened the door. “   
“At that moment, I first saw that the bed sheets were crumpled. No one was on the bed. On the left-side door there was something like a tie hanging from above. Below that, on a blue coloured stool, there was a head resting on the seat. I saw that a part of the strap hanging from above the door was around the neck. I moved Aravinda’s wife away from the doorway and sent her downstairs. I told Aravinda that he appeared to be dead and asked him to call a doctor. Afterwards, a staff including a lady doctor arrived from Durdans Hospital. The doctor said he was dead,” the fourth witness Attorney-at-Law Priyantha Amarasinghe testified.   
The fifth witness, emergency medical officer Lakshani Liyanage, testified stating that upon going to the place where the death had occurred and examining the body of the deceased, she had concluded that the death had occurred within one to two hours.   
She stated that when she arrived and examined the scene, she observed that the bed was empty and that near a turned-over chair by the left-side door, a person was lying on the ground. A strap had tightened around the neck. She stated that she checked for “signs of life” to determine whether the person was alive. Breathing had stopped and one side of the face had been pressed against the chair. The pulse had also stopped. When she examined the right hand, which had fallen towards her side, it had become partially stiff. The pupil of the right eye had dilated and become fixed and unmoving. “That means when I examined him, the person was already dead,” she stated.   
At this point, the police officer leading the evidence asked the doctor how long before the examination the death had occurred.   
In response, the doctor stated, “It must have been within one to two hours.”   
The second witness, Somadasa, who is employed at Kapila’s residence, testified as follows, Responding to a question raised by the Magistrate, he stated that after Kapila had returned home on bail on May 6, no one had come to meet him until he left the house.   
The sixth witness, Subrahim Pramila, a domestic worker employed at Kapila Chandrasena’s residence, stated that after obtaining bail and returning home, he had dinner and spoke with them before going to sleep. Thereafter, on the following day, May 7, he left the house and did not return. Later that night, he called and said to keep clothes ready for him to wear at around 11.30 p.m. Afterwards, he called again and said to send two pairs of spectacles, his medicines, and a blue belt. He said the blue belt was under the sarong. She stated that it was a belt Sir used while exercising. He further said that he would send a vehicle to collect the items. Two persons arrived in a vehicle and took them away. “Since Sir had not returned the following day, I called him around 6.45 a.m. but there was no answer,” she stated.   
Responding to a question raised by the Magistrate, she further stated that “Sir had told us during the phone call the previous night to keep clothes ready because he had to go to court, so I was waiting. Since Sir did not come, I called him.”   
Further testifying, the domestic worker stated that on the morning of May 8, a group of about five persons claiming to be from the CID arrived at the house and, after showing a search warrant, searched the residence.   
She further stated that the officers had told her, “Sir is in the house, isn’t he? Don’t lie, otherwise we will take you also.”   
However, she stated that after the officers took down her information and left the premises, she came to know that Kapila Chandrasena had died.   
At this point, statements were recorded from the two drivers of Aravinda, who had transported the bag containing Kapila Chandrasena’s clothes, medicines, and belt from Kapila Chandrasena’s residence to Aravinda’s residence.