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| Sunday, 27 February 2005 |
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Crime Sunday Brief respite for Army-Suranga By Jaympathy Jayasinghe Last week's court proceedings at the Embilipitiya Magistrate Courts began on a subdued note as usual with the Interpreter Mudaliar calling out the names of witnesses, accused and complainants gathered before court to testify. The court house was packed to capacity and a busy atmosphere prevailed as usual. Several important cases were to be taken up that day and lawyers too were busy perusing their briefs to prepare for court battles. Notorious criminals like Army-Suranga and other dangerous criminals from the break away Wambotta group were brought from far away prisons to testify before Embilipitiya magistrate. They were escorted to court premises by armed Prison officials and detained in a cell. The remand prisoners and those who were already serving jail sentences were involved in other serious crimes like murder, robberies, rape, pillage etc. Security arrangements at the court premises were as usual with the presence of a few armed policemen and Prison officials. But there wasn't any information received by police or Prison authorities that there was an impending attack on the court house. There weren't any ominous signs to foretell the impending attack. There were no reasons whatsoever for police or Prison officials to panic and feel apprehensive about security arrangements. No one ever imagined that a grenade would be lobbed at the remand cell to seek the release of Wambotta's henchmen or to destroy his enemies like Army-Suranga and his henchmen, the break away group. But the least expected happened while the court proceedings were on. The time was around 11.10.a.m. when someone hurled a hand grenade at the remand cell. A Prison officer along with three persons died instantaneously while 36 persons were injured. Several ducked for cover under tables and there was total pandemonium and chaos in the court house. Meanwhile Army-Suranga and 24 other hardcore criminals broke the remand cell and escaped for good. Who could have thrown a grenade at the remand cell amid tight security and from where did the hand grenade come from? These are some of the questions that the CID sleuths are investigating. Following the jail break, a countrywide man hunt for the arrest of hardcore criminals was launched by IGP Chandra Fernando. A team of CID officers were despatched on the following day from Colombo to hunt down and arrest dangerous criminals who were at large. Meanwhile on receipt of information that the jail breakers were seen roaming about in a car in the Sevenagala area, DIG, Uva Range, S.K. Shankar, was galvanised into action. He promptly ordered Inspector Kalansiri, OIC Uva Vice, Crime and Operations division to arrest the hard core criminals. Inspector Kalansiri. SI Herath, Sergeant Palitha and party lost no time and proceeded to Uda Walave - Sevenagala border by car on the subsequent day. They were tipped off by an informant that Sujith Wasantha Kumarasinghe alias Army Suranga, A. Gamage Sarath Bandu and Marappulige Ruwan Pushpakumara, all army deserters and hardcore criminals that operated with the dreaded Wambotta's gang were seen going about in a Nissan car. They were wanted in connection with several contract killings, robberies and looting cases rape etc. Having arrived at the Uda Walave border the police party alighted from their vehicle and trudged along a jungle path for nearly two kilo meters until they arrived near a cemetery. The three fugitives who were unarmed were confronted by Inspector Kalansiri, SI Herath and the police party around 1.30. P.M. near the cemetery. When challenged by the police the fugitives gave up without a fight. They even begged for mercy and pleaded with the police not to be harmed. Later Army Suranga had told Inspector Kalansiri that the grenade was lobbed by Wambottas gang to liquidate him and his colleagues in the cell. But subsequent investigations by Inspector Kalansiri had revealed that Wambottas gang had lobbed the hand grenade to get remand prisoner Nalin Suranga released so that he can assassinate one Abyenayake. Police found the pin of the hand grenade in the court premises. The three criminals were later handed over to the Wellawaya Police Station and the CID sleuths are investigating them. Meanwhile the Commissioner General of Prisons Rummy Marzook is conducting a separate investigation about the incident. |
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