Former Commissioner held

By Jayampathy Jayasinghe

Criminal Investigation Department (CID) sleuths probing the suicide attack on Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa who miraculously escaped when an alleged LTTE suicide cadre driving an explosive laden tri-shaw blew himself at Anagarika Dharmapala Mawatha, almost 10 days ago have taken into custody a former Commissioner of the Department of Registration of Persons in this connection.

A spokesman for the CID said the former Commissioner had issued an application to the suicide bomber to obtain a National Identity Card (NIC) on fake documents furnished by the suicide cadre. He was arrested by the CID for a similar offence on an earlier occasion.

It was also revealed that the former Commissioner had issued a National Identity Card (NIC) for the LTTE woman suicide cadre who blew herself at the Kollupitiya police station about two years ago when she was arrested and brought there by policemen. On the same day she had visited Minister Douglas Devananda's office at Kollupitiya.

The sleuths who searched the Commissioner's residence at Gampaha had found several application forms relating to the issue of NICs.

In the course of the investigation it was revealed that the Commissioner had issued a National Identity Card to another LTTE cadre who had accompanied the woman suicide cadre to the Kollupitiya police station. Further inquiries are being conducted by the CID.