Wasim Thajudeen murder:

Net closing in on police top brass

DIG, Senior retired DIG, two PSD Officers main suspects:
Arrests likely in next two weeks:
Suspects not permitted to leave country:

by Rasika Jayakody

A Deputy Inspector General of Police who had close links with the top brass of the previous administration is among the possible suspects in the Wasim Thajudeen case, authoritative police sources told the Sunday Observer.

“Although the senior police officer is not directly linked to the murder, there is evidence to suggest that he aided the suspects who allegedly perpetrated the crime,” a senior spokesperson of the Department said yesterday. The police are also likely to arrest a retired senior DIG who played a key role in the Department at the time of Thajudeen’s murder. There were allegations that he was instrumental in altering police records with regard to the rugby player’s killing, attributing his death to a fatal accident.

Among other possible suspects in the case are two prominent security officers of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

One of them is known as ‘Captain Tissa,’ police sources confirmed yesterday.

“Captain Tissa was in Colombo at the time of the murder. His telephone records were carefully analysed by the CID,” the officer revealed.

“The arrests will be made based on circumstantial and scientific evidence gathered by the police teams conducting the investigation,” he added.

They said all the possible suspects in the case were under surveillance and they could not leave the country.

The suspects are likely to be arrested within the next two weeks. Colombo Additional Magistrate Nishantha Pieris, who ruled that Thajudeen’s death might have been a murder, directed the CID to proceed with the investigation and arrest the possible suspects.