Police Training School OIC shot dead, suspect arrested

The Officer-In-Charge of the Ratnapura Police Training School was shot dead on Sunday morning, the police said. The 57-year-old victim, Chief Inspector Indrasoma Ratnayake, was shot when he was travelling to a land he owned in Elapatha, Ratnapura.

Police spokesman Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Prishantha Jayakody said a suspect was arrested with a firearm from the area where the murder took place. The suspect is believed to be a resident of that area. The police believe a land dispute may have led to the murder of the veteran police officer. The body of the officer is currently lying at the Ratnapura Hospital.

The police have ruled out any connection of the OIC’s murder to the series of recent murders in the Kahawatta area in Ratnapura, saying that the officer was not involved in any investigations on the Kahawatta murders.