The Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) has sought an arrest warrant for former top Criminal Investigations Department (CID) sleuth IP Nishantha Silva. The CCD made the request when the case relating to former CID Director Shani Abeysekara was taken up before the Gampaha Magistrate courts last week. SSP Abeysekara was once again remanded on the day till August 20 on Friday (07).
Abeysekara was arrested by the CCD on July 30 over allegations that he fabricated evidence in a 2013 murder investigation involving DIG Vaas Gunawardena. The Police claimed the arrest was based on evidence given by two other Police officers, as well as two other persons, that Abeysekera had fabricated evidence tied to firearms involved in the murder case. However SI Mendis, a former sergeant at the CID who was arrested on the same charge has accused the CCD of pressuring him to implicate Shani Abeysekera, and that CCD officials had threatened him with arrest if he refused to submit to the pressure.
The CCD represented by ASP Neville De Silva on the day requested the Magistrate to issue an arrest warrant against IP Nishantha Silva who had fled the country. However, the Magistrate said that before he could issue such an order he would require a report from the Department of Immigration.
IP Nishantha Silva had apparently left the country in November 2019 soon after the presidential election out of fears for his safety.
The CCD is accusing all three police officers of fabricating evidence against former DIG Vass Gunewardane who was sentenced to death by a Trial at Bar of the High Court in November 2015 for the murder of Mohammed Shiyam. At the trial, it was revealed that Vass Gunewardane was running a contract killing unit and had been paid Rs 10 million for Shiyam’s murder.
