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| Sunday, 15 August 2004 |
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Security |  |
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Police after accomplice of Kollupitiya suicide bomber by Jayampathy Jayasinghe The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) sleuths probing the issuance of forged National Identity Cards (NIC) by the Department of Registration of Persons said that they are on the trail of another woman LTTE suicide cadre who had accompanied the suicide bomber who blew herself at the Kollupitiya police station killing two police officers and injuring several others. The second woman suicide cadre too had been issued with a forged National Identity Card by the Department and the relevant file with its documents are believed to be missing. The forged NIC racket had breached national security paving the way for terrorists to infiltrate into the City of Colombo and suburbs and launch attacks on their opponents. This racket was exposed following the discovery of a forged National Identity Card in the bag of the suicide bomber Thiyagarasa Jaeyarani, (bearing No. 786824848V). The woman suicide bomber who had gone to meet Minister Douglas Devananda at the Kollupitiya office had left her hand bag accidentally when she was checked by security officers and denied entry into the Minister's chamber. Later, police arrested Sakunthali Selvakumari, who accompanied the suicide bomber to the minister's office at Kollupitiya. After intensive grilling by the police, the woman identified herself as an accomplice of the suicide bomber. She had told investigators that she had paid Rs. 3,500 to an officer at the Department of Registration of Persons to obtain a forged National Identity Card (NIC) for the suicide bomber. The NIC had been issued to the suicide bomber on 14. 6. 2004, but the relevant file had disappeared subsequently from the Department. It was customary for the Department to retain a file for at least three months to rectify any errors in newly issued NICs. Sakunthali Selvakumari is now in remand custody pending completion of inquiries. Meanwhile, CID sleuths had recovered 57 National Identity Cards issued by the Commissioner of the Registration of Persons on 31.6. 2004 and four of them are alleged to be forged ones and their relevant files and documents, are missing. Investigators are probing whether these forged NICs had been issued to terrorists. It had been also discovered that the Department had occupied an upstair house at Barnes Place Colombo 7, on a monthly rental of Rs. 250,000 for processing NICs. The upstair portion of the house has been assigned for the Commissioner and the downstair portion for normal routine work. CID sources said that the LTTE woman suicide bomber who made an abortive attempt to assassinate President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga at the Colombo Town Hall, by blowing herself a few years ago, had even obtained a forged identity card from the Department of the Registration of Persons. However, evidence show that most files and documents relating to those forged identity cards have disappeared and it had been ascertained that they were destroyed by officers acting on the direction of the hierarchy of the Department. CID sources said that the LTTE cadre arrested at Mutwal last month with cyanide capsules also had a forged National Identity Card in his possession. CID sleuths acting on a tipoff recently, arrested an employee of the Department of the Registration of Persons wanted in connection with a forged identity card racket, while he was stepping out of the building at Keppettipola Mawatha, Colombo 7. As soon as he came out of the building, he was approached by two other persons with forged National Identity Cards in their possession. Sleuths said that one of them had 12 forged NICs in his possession and the second person had one. The racket which had been going on for many years had also deprived the Government of revenue to the tune of several millions of rupees. Meanwhile, the Court of Appeal had issued an Interim Order restraining the CID from arresting the Commissioner of Registration of Persons K.V.J. Ranasinghe. The order is valid till August 26, 2004. Ranasinghe had sought a revision of the order made by the Magistrate who refused him anticipatory bail in view of allegations over forged National Identity Cards. |
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