Five others linked to Thajudeen’s killing barred from leaving country:

Travel ban on ‘Captain Tissa’

by Rasika Jayakody

Wasim Thajudeen

The Criminal Investigations Department(CID) has obtained a travel ban on a person known as ‘Captain Tissa’, a driver of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in connection with the death of Rugby player Wasim Thajudeen.

Highly placed sources from Police Headquarters said the CID made the move as the former President’s driver’s name had transpired during the investigation.

Apart from ‘Captain Tissa’, five others have also been barred from leaving the country.

All of them, sources said were linked to the on-going investigation on the Rugby player’s killing.

“The CID has already taken comprehensive steps to prevent possible suspects of the Thajudeen investigation from absconding. The travel ban was obtained immediately after the suspects were traced,” a senior spokesman of the Department told the Sunday Observer.

Police Headquarters also said the CID was investigating as to whether there was an ‘underworld link’ in the killing. “We need to take all possibilities into consideration. There is some evidence to believe that the ‘possible suspects’ carried out the killing with the connivance of some underworld elements. We are gathering evidence and there is no need to jump to conclusions,” a spokesman who wished to remain anonymous said. It is also learnt that a private telephone provider had submitted comprehensive telephone details as requested by the Attorney General’s Department.

The records handed over to the CID included highly technical information such as the location of towers where calls originated and terminated between the caller and the receiver. Police sources said retrieving such information had to be done through a highly complicated process and the company had deployed several teams to attend to the matter.