March 11, Colombo (LNW): An open arrest warrant has been issued for former Inspector General of Police (IGP), Deshabandu Tennakoon, by the Matara Magistrate’s Court, following a request from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
The warrant is related to an ongoing investigation into a deadly shooting incident that took place in the Pelena area of Weligama on December 31, 2023.
The CID informed the Matara Magistrate’s Court today that ten locations across Sri Lanka had been raided in an attempt to locate Tennakoon, with intelligence officers dispatched to an additional eighteen sites in the effort to capture him.
Despite these efforts, the former IGP remains elusive, and his whereabouts are currently unknown.
In response to the arrest warrant, Tennakoon, through his legal team, filed a writ petition with the Court of Appeal on March 10.
The petition seeks to prevent his arrest by requesting an interim injunction to stay the warrant issued against him. The court is expected to hear the petition in due course.
The warrant was issued after an investigation into the shooting incident, which occurred when a team from the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) travelled to Weligama to arrest individuals connected to the notorious underworld figure Nadun Chinthaka Wickremeratne, also known as ‘Harak Kata’.
While attempting the arrest on December 31, the CCD officers, who were in plain clothes, came under fire from within the W15 Hotel in Weligama. This prompted them to return fire in self-defence.
A police vehicle from the Weligama Police Station then mistakenly opened fire on the CCD van, believing it was transporting criminals.
The confusion led to the van fleeing the scene, and in the chaos, two CCD officers were injured. One of the officers, Police Sergeant Upul Chaminda Kumara, tragically died from his injuries after being rushed to the hospital.
Following the incident, an inquest was launched by the Matara Chief Magistrate’s Court, with the CID instructed to arrest and present eight individuals, including former IGP Tennakoon, to face further legal proceedings.
Authorities have warned that anyone found aiding Tennakoon in evading arrest will face legal consequences under Article 209 of the Penal Code.
