Sunday Nov 24, 2024
Sunday Nov 24, 2024
Tuesday, 23 January 2024 00:30 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The police have deployed five police teams to investigate the killing of Ape Jana Bala Pakshaya leader Saman Prasanna Perera alias Royal Beach Saman who was shot dead along with five others by an unidentified group in Beliatta yesterday.
According to Police Spokesperson SSP Nihal Thalduwa, specialised police teams have been dispatched to conduct investigations, overseen by the Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police (SDIG) for the Southern Province.
Thalduwa said SDIG Southern Province has designated the following teams for the ongoing investigation: the Southern Province Crime Division, the Crimes Unit of the Tangalle Division, a dedicated team under the Tangalle HQI, a contingent from the Beliatta Police, a team headed by the Officer-In-Charge of the division, and a group of intelligence officers.
Four persons had died instantly while another succumbed to his injuries after being admitted to the Tangalle Base Hospital.
Perera and the group, travelling in a white Land Rover Defender, had made a stop at a roadside eatery near the Beliatta Highway exit when they came under fire. Police investigation, supported by CCTV footage, reveals that a Pajero carrying the killers had been tailing the Defender leading up to the shooting incident.
Perera was en route to attend a court hearing related to a case where he stands accused of harbouring suspects linked to a murder that occurred on 5 June in Kudawella. He was arrested and remanded over the case in August 2022. The slain political party leader is considered a powerful underworld figure based in the Southern Province by law enforcement officials. Perera has been arrested and remanded on several previous occasions over murder charges.
Perera is also accused of the killings of former Balapitiya Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman Stanley Thabru and his son Terry Thabru.
