Two held over Govt official's abduction

by Jayampathy JAYASINGHE

A two-member underworld gang who abducted a top government official while he was on his way to work and demanded Rs. 4.5 million for his release was taken in for questioning by sleuths of the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) after launching a manhunt for the gang, police sources told the Sunday Observer.

Police said the victim Mahinda Keerthi, Deputy Director (Planning) of the Archaeological Department was abducted while he was on his way to work last week. He was offered a lift by two members who travelled in a car.

They threatened to shoot him with a T-56 weapon and he was whisked away to an abandoned house at Athurugiriya where he was kept in solitary confinement.

The victim's wife had lodged a complaint at the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) on September 1, following his disappearance. The abductors had telephoned her and demanded a ransom of Rs 4.5 million for his release. They told her to sell his new car permit and to hand over the money to them.

Following the complaint, the police launched a manhunt to arrest the gang. CCD sleuths identified the five telephone booths at Welikada and Athurugiriya from where they had spoken to the victim's wife. The police team identified the abductors after mounting a surveillance campaign following extensive investigations.

However, when the abductors got wind of the police trailing them, they took the victim to a jungle patch at Athurugiriya where he was set free on Thursday. The gang had taken his credit card and other personal belongings, police said. The two-member gang members was taken in for questioning from their homes at Miriswatta and at Piliyandala.

Police also recovered a T-56 rifle, 31 ammunition and two plastic pistols and eight mobile phones in their possession.

DIG Crimes Anura Senanayake with Superintendent of Police D. R. L Ranaweera, is directing investigations. OIC (CCD) Chief Inspector Hemantha IP Kularatne and SI Tibbatuwawa are conducting investigations.