Police and Politicians Obstructing Thajudeen Investigation

27/12/2015

A senior officer of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) told Ceylon Today that a group of high ranking officials of the Police Department as well as a group of politicians are trying to scuttle the investigations into the killing of popular ruggerite Wasim Thajudeen.

A senior police officer said that the reason for the obstructions is that the senior officials who held senior positions by 2012 are still holding those positions. He pointed out that those officials were misleading the investigations and preventing the perpetrators being arrested even now.

Former Director of the CID D.L.R. Ranaweera (now DIG Ampara) had submitted a progress report of the Thajudeen’s murder investigation but till today no action has been taken.

Rugger player Wasim Thajudeen was found dead in his vehicle which was on fire near Park Road, Narahenpita on 17 May 2012. Police claimed it was an accident. But on 10 December 2015, Colombo Judicial Medical Officer, Dr. Ajith Tennakoon, announced that it was a planned killing.

In this backdrop, the statement of the CID officer confirms that the department has not taken action, so far, to question either Senior Deputy Inspector General Anura Senanayake who in 2012 supervised the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) or former Judicial Medical Officer Prof. Ananda Samarasekara.

Colombo Additional Magistrate, NishanthaPeiris, ordered the CID on 10 December 2015, to record statements from these two officers. The Magistrate also ordered to file the report on the investigation on 20 January 2016, when the case will be called again.

A prominent politico
The CID has also not taken action to arrest Captain Tissa who was the driver of a prominent politico.

However, the Spokesman of the CID said that efforts would be taken to proceed with the investigations on the murder, despite these obstacles. According to the Police Media Spokesman, ASP Ruwan Gunasekera, DIG S.A.D.S. Gunawardena and other officers, who were in the service at the time of the murder of Thajudeen, were questioned by the CID.

Meanwhile, Army Commander Crishantha de Silva told Ceylon Today that one Captain L.M.T. Wimalasena had been identified in the internal probe conducted by Army and he had been detained in a military camp in Jaffna.

However, media reports said that Captain Wimalasena is now trying to escape from Jaffna by sea. When inquired about these reports from Army Commander, he said that he would not hesitate to punish in case he tried to escape by sea or in any other manner. However, he said that he was not sure the person was the same one who was identified as Captain Tissa.

The Army Commander stated further: “You inquire about one Captain Tissa. But he must have a definite name. We conducted an internal investigation regarding Captain Tissa. We identified one Captain L.M.T. Wimalasena. We are now taking action regarding him in terms of Army procedures.”When we inquired further from the Army Spokesman, he said that he could not provide more details without consulting the Ministry of Defence.

Army Media Spokesman, Brigadier Jayanath Jayaweera, also told Ceylon Today that the Army had identified the above mentioned Captain L.M.T. Wimalasena in the internal probe regarding Captain Tissa.

“We have found that he had been the driver of a prominent politico. But we are not sure whether Captain Tissa about whom you are inquiring and Captain L.M.T. Wimalasena, is the same person,” he said.

As we reported last week, Captain Tissa had been the most trusted driver of the said politico.

The Army Media Spokesman said that the Army had extended maximum support to the CID to identify the suspects of the Thajudeen murder.

Captain Tissa or Wimalasena

However, the Army Spokesman further said that the CID had not informed the Army about Captain Tissa or Captain Wimalasena yet. “We cannot give more details about something the CID had not so far informed us of officially. We must say that Army has nothing to hide from the media,” Brigadier Jayaweera said.

However, we questioned the Army Spokesman if the Army was conducting an internal probe regarding Captain Tissa, whom the CID had identified as a suspect in the case of the murder of Thajudeen. His reply was that there was no such Captain Tissa but one Captain L.M.T. Wimalasena in the Army.

A senior officer of the Police Headquarters said that Captain Tissa and Captain L.M.T. Wimalasena refer to the same person. He confirmed that the suspect’s name is Captain L.M. Tissa Wimalasena.

(Original Caption: Captain Tissa in Jaffna Army Camp)

By Niranjala Ariyawansha / Sunday Leader