Boy rescued in major abduction drama

by Ananda Agalakada and Kurulu Kariyakarawana

In what may seem to be a shocking abduction drama in the recent past, leaving the people in tension and anxious moments were richly rewarded when police rescued four-year-old Dinidu Yashen Ekanayake from his heartless abductors in a high ransom drama in Galgamuwa on Friday night.

Dinidu who was abducted by four unidentified men who came on two motorcycles on Monday night was rescued without any injury befalling the child by the special police teams accompanied by experts from the Criminal Investigation Department in the Ambogama area in Galgamuwa. The four suspects who were responsible for this inhumane act were also taken into custody.

Dinindu clinging onto his father's hand walked into the room filled with journalists with a sense of curiosity last afternoon where a press briefing was held to enlighten the public as to what really took place. The victim was slightly taken aback with the continuous flash of cameras. His innocent looks belied the fear he must have endured while being in the custody of his heartless captors. He was accompanied by his father, mother and older sister perhaps unaware of the anxious moments his family went through during the last four days. His father Mahinda Kumara Ekanayake who was injured in the melee was with covered wounds on his neck caused by the armed abductors. He was emotional while speaking to the press. His voice was breaking at certain instances at the very thought of nearly losing his beloved son. He spoke of the grisly episode in a breaking voice and explained how the entire incident unfolded.

Assault

On Monday July 28th around 7.30pm he opened the front door of the house when a voice from the outside called out his name. He had barely opened the main door when several men, heads covered with helmets and armed with knives started assaulting him. He felt a sharp pain in his neck and the advancing intruders had also assaulted his wife.

Mahinda shut the door within moments forcing the men out but in the very next minute he realised that his little son was missing from the house and then realised that the men in masks had taken his beloved son away. Mahinda told the media in an emotional tone.

The Meegallewa Police were immediately informed and a team of officers arrived at the scene instantly. Having recorded the initial details of the incident the police alerted surrounding police stations in Galgamuwa and Mahawa. Senior Superintendent of Police Nikaweratiya Division Chandana Alahakoon was also informed who took measures to notify his superiors DIG Kurunegala District Sarath Kumara and Senior DIG in charge of North Western Province Jagath Abeysirigunawardena.

SDIG Abeysirigunawardena gave instructions to appoint three police teams under the supervision of SSP Alahakoon and all police stations in the district were alerted of a gang with fleeing a child. Three special teams were appointed under ASP Galgamuwa Saman Dissanayake, ASP Mahawa H M P Herath and ASP Nikaweratiya Upul Chandana Abeysinghe to investigate the case.

Speeding motorcycles

In the meantime police learnt that a group of villagers in the Katugampala area had witnessed four men on two speeding motorcycles carrying a small child passing them. Day One faded away with parents grieving but with no sign or any hope of finding their son. On Tuesday (29th) the victim's father received a phone call from a stranger believed to be of one of the abductors saying that they had his son with them and hung up. On Wednesday (30th) the boy's grandfather received a call from the same caller demanding a ransom to release the boy. The abductors demanded Rs.10million to release Dinidu unharmed.

With this development the investigators notified their senior officers and SDIG Abeysirigunawardena informed IGP N K Illangakoon about the progress of the situation. At the same time various media carried many news items related to the heartbreaking incident. Pictures of the cute looking boy were published across the media and visuals of the grieving parents gave a tear to anybody's eye.

CID team

President Mahinda Rajapaksa who came across these reports immediately ordered IGP Illangakoon to send a CID team to Galgamuwa. With orders coming from the top, the IGP called on his subordinate DIG Ravi Seneviratne in charge of CID to dispatch a team. The CID DIG ordered the Director SSP Lalantha Ranaweera and a special team led by SP Palitha Panamaldeniya went to Galgamuwa on Thursday evening.

CID officials who reached the boy's house at midnight began recording statements for over six hours till dawn and commenced to monitor the telephone calls received by Dinidu's grandfather (mother's father). A special CID technical support team from Colombo assisted the field operatives to trace the phone numbers of the suspects.

They found that one of the two phone SIMs were registered by a labourer in the Pettah which was misleading and led to a dead end. In the meantime suspects summoned the boy's grandfather to seven different locations around Galgamuwa to receive the money. At one of these places one of the suspects arrived to receive part of the agreed ransom and there he gave a gold pendant (Panchayuda) worn by the child as proof that they had the victim in their custody. Police however arrested the suspect and with his assistance the police staged an abduction release drama to get the child. Within 12 hours on the night of the 31st, the police received a call from a person in th Ambogama area that they found the missing boy in their compound. Police teams were dispatched to the said location and Dinidu was found. Moments later the police apprehended the three other missing suspects.

Police Spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana said that the suspects had hidden the boy in a rented house in the Galgamuwa area about 20kilometers away from his own house. The police found three knives, face masks, gloves and the two motorcycles used for the crime. The boy was referred to a medical examination in Galgamuwa Hospital and he was found to be in good mental and physical condition. While being in their custody he had been in tears and asking them for his parents.

The four suspects identified as Manjula Sandakelum (32), Chathuranga Kumara Sampath (29), Sanjeewa Wijekoon (21) and Dinesh Priyasadh (23) were reportedly the residents of the same area. It was learnt that the main suspect Manjula Sandakelum was happened to be at a marriage proposal visit made by Damindu's mother's younger sister. At the proposal visit Damindu's grandfather had agreed to grant a dowry of Rs.10 million to his youngest daughter. Manjula who noticed this had decided to plan an abduction game to take the money, the SSP said. The CID investigators revealed to the media that they saw some of the suspects hanging around in the area near the boy's house even after the abduction took place. This proved as to how organised they were to spy on the developing incident with the involvement of the police. It was shocking to realise that three of the four suspects were in their twenties and what a gruesome act they had commited.

Dinidu's's father expressed his gratitude and said if not for the police department he would not see his son's face again.