The autopsy on Dinesh Schaffter’s death yesterday (16) evening concluded that the well-known businessman died as a result of strangulation with a zip-wire cable.
According to the investigation, the statements of about 15 people have been recorded in connection with the incident related to the murder.
Among them were the statements of several people, including the person working at the Borella cemetery, who came to help on this occasion.
“. A car was parked at that time. When one of his friends was shouting, I went and opened the door. When I looked, he had a wire on his body. When I saw him, he was unconscious. He was keeping his head down. He had tape on his hand. The seat on the other side We then took him away. He didn’t speak. We also gave him water. He seemed to be breathing a little. “He was keeping his head down all the way,” a cemetery employee said to the media regarding the incident.
The police said that four police teams have been deployed and ongoing investigations are being conducted regarding the murder.
According to the ongoing investigations,
Dinesh Schaffter, 51, the director of Janashakti Group, left his home at Flower Road, Colombo 7, at around 2.05 p.m. yesterday (15) to meet with a businessman named BT, who allegedly defrauded him of 1430 million rupees in a transaction with him. Dinesh Shafter kept his wife and an officer informed of his whereabouts that afternoon.
Accordingly, the executive officer said to Shafter, “Sir, send me your live location.”
However, even though Schaffter had said in the morning that he had to go meet the businessman called BT, no specific information was revealed as to whether he left the house in the afternoon to meet the businessman called BT.
The wife had informed the concerned executive officer that Dinesh Shafter had left the house at around 2.05 p.m.
Dinesh Schaffter exchanged live locations with his wife and executive officer at 2:48 p.m. At that time, it has been confirmed that he was staying at Borella Cemetery.
According to the investigation, after two or three minutes, the related signals were broken.
Based on this information, the executive officer was immediately walking towards Rajagiriya along the Kitulwatta road near the Borella cemetery when he saw Dinesh Shafter’s car parked in the Borella cemetery.
He saw Mr. Schaffter in the driver’s seat of the vehicle with the door open as he approached the vehicle.
When they got closer, Shafter’s hands were tied with a plastic zip tie.
It has also been seen that the neck was tied with a wire and tied in such a way that the chest area was also tied.
At that time, Dinesh Schaffte was unconscious. As soon as possible, the executive officer removed the wires that were strangling Shafter’s hands and neck and splashed water on his face from a water bottle in the car, causing him to cough.
After that, the concerned officer shouted and asked for help. At that time, with the help of two people working in the cemetery, he was moved to the other side of the front seat and was immediately taken to the National Hospital. By that time, it was around 3.08 p.m.
Schaffte who was brought to the National Hospital at around 3.15 p.m., was then admitted to the emergency unit and started treatment. Dinesh Schaffter was transferred to the intensive care unit and died on the 15th night.
By now, a statement has been recorded from Brian Thomas regarding the main incident. Colombo Additional Magistrate Harshana Kekunawela has imposed a travel ban on Brian Thomas in connection with the incident.
It was reported that Brian Thomas has two passports, and the court has imposed a travel ban on both of these passports.
The court also allowed the Borella police to obtain a telecom analysis report on the mobile device used by Dinesh Schaffte from the telecom service providers.
