Wednesday, November 03, 2004

Witnesses identify army major and accomplice by Athula Bandara

Major Anuruddha Wijayabahu and his accomplice army soldier Sujeewa Saman Kumara were yesterday re-remanded till November 17 after five witnesses identified them at an identification parade.

They were produced before Anuradhapura Magistrate Harsha Setunga after the identification parade which was held in a special room at the Anuradhapura Court Complex.

The Wattegama police arrested the two suspects on suspicion while they were travelling in a hijacked van after allegedly killing its driver Wanigasekera.

Large crowds had gathered at the court premises to catch a glimpse of the suspects as they were brought into courts under strict security.

They also shouted slogans demanding that lawyers should not defend them as the suspect had defamed the good name of the army and that they be given the maximum punishment and that they should not be released on bail.

On October 11 on the pretext of hiring the vehicle for a trip the two suspects had on the way had allegedly tied up the driver and pushed him down a precipice and fled.

Further questioning of the suspects had revealed that they had on April 11 hired a car from Anuradhapura and allegedly killed the driver at the Manthottam Army Camp in Mannar and had then cut the corpse into six pieces and burnt the body before and hijacking the vehicle.

In the course of the investigations the CID had found a diary belonging to the dead driver inside the army quarters while parts of the burnt body was found buried in the premises and a blood-stained knife which might have been used to cut up the body.

The suspects are said to be involved in the hijacking of 17 vehicles.