The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of Sri Lanka Police Tuesday arrested a former Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) over the murder of journalist and former Editor of the Sunday Leader, Lasantha Wickremetunga.
The CID arrested retired senior DIG (Western Province South) Prasanna Nanayakkara for allegedly concealing of evidence into the investigation of the murder of former Sunday Leader editor, Police said.
At the time of Wickrematunge’s murder in broad daylight at a busy road, Prasanna Nanayakkara was the DIG in charge of the Mount Lavinia Police Division.
He is to be produced before the Mount Lavinia Magistrates’ court today.
Earlier this month, a former police officer arrested by the CID in connection with the murder of Wickrematunge has revealed significant information about the nine-year old crime.
According to the information revealed by the arrested officer, the CID was taking measures to arrest a former IGP, a DIG, a police Superintendent and several other officers on charges of cocelaing all the evidence with regard to Lasantha’s killing and trying to pin it on the LTTE.
Based on the information provided to courts by the CID, the Mount Lavinia Magistrates’ court had impounded the passports of former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Jayantha Wickremaratne, former DIG Nanayakkara and former Senior DIG Hemantha Adhikari.
Lasantha Wickremetunga, the founding editor of English weekly, Sunday Leader, was assassinated on January 8, 2009 by four assailants who stopped him on his way to his office on Attidiya-Mt. Lavinia road, in a suburb of Sri Lankan capital Colombo.
