Eight more arrests made in Rathgama businessmen murders

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) yesterday arrested seven more Police officers and a Forst Reserve officer over the murders of the two businessmen of Rathgama.

CID sources said the policemen and the Forst Reserve officer had been arrested following lengthy questioning over the incident.

Among the arrested are two Sub-Inspectors, two Sergeants, two Constables and a Police Constable driver attached to the Police Special Investigations Unit of the Southern Province.

CID sources said the remains of the bodies of the two businessmen had been found within the forest reserve which comes under the purview of the Wild Life officer arrested yesterday.

In addition to the latest arrests, currently six Police officers including the OIC of the Police Special Investigations Unit of the Southern Province and a ranger of the forest reserve where the bodies were found are in remand custody in connection with the murders.

The two businessmen Manjula Asela Kumara (33) and Rasin Chintaka (31), went missing on January 23.

During investigations it was revealed they had been abducted and killed allegedly by a group of officers attached to the Southern Province’s Special Investigations Unit of Police.

The burnt remains of the two businessmen were discovered from the Hevandeniya Forest Reserve in Walasmulla on February 22.

(Source: Daily News – By Gayan Kumara Weerasinghe)