Two suspects arrested

Jaffna High Court Judge M. Ilancheliyan broke down when he met the wife and relatives of Police Sergeant Sarath Premachandra (51) who died during the shooting at Nallur on Saturday. The Policeman had been escorting the Jaffna High Court Judge, currently

Monday, July 24, 2017

A Police officer, escorting Jaffna High Court Judge M. Ilancheliyan, critically injured in Saturday’s shooting in Nallur when an unidentified man opened fire, passed away yesterday at the Jaffna hospital.

Meanwhile, Jaffna Police have arrested two suspects in connection to the shooting of the Policeman in Nallur.

The Policeman had been escorting Jaffna High Court Judge M.Ilancheliyan, who is currently presiding over the Sivaloganathan Vidya case at the time of the incident.

According to Police Spokesperson SP Ruwan Gunasekara the arrested suspects are said to be the brother and a relative of the main suspect who is currently on the run.

While the shooting was initially suspected to have been aimed at Judge Ilancheliyan, Gunasekera yesterday said the presence of the Judge and the ensuing shooting was a coincidence and not a planned assassination attempt.

According to Gunasekera a fracas between several people on the road in the vicinity of the Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil had obstructed the road when the Policeman escorting the Judge had attempted to resolve the issue.

“It was then that the suspect involved in the dispute who is also said to have been intoxicated during the time had shot the Policeman,” Gunasekera said. “The suspect had grabbed the Policeman’s revolver and had used it to shoot him. A second Policeman who was in the car and the Judge had got down from the vehicle when the shooting occurred. The other Policeman too had exchanged fire with the suspect who had later fled on a stolen motorbike,” the Police Spokesperson said.

The second policeman too is receiving treatment at the hospital for injuries sustained during the shootout.

According to Police sources, the suspect had discharged the weapon around 11 times putting Judge Ilancheliyan in an extremely dangerous situation.

Ilancheliyan is part of the three member bench presiding over the controversial case regarding the rape and eventual murder of Jaffna school girl Vidya Sivayoganathan.

Both injured Police officers were immediately admitted to the Jaffna Hospital while one, 57 year old Police Sergeant Sarath Premachandra who was allegedly shot in the stomach later succumbed yesterday. Several Police teams are conducting further investigations into the incident.