- Investigations commenced based on a video received by Senior DIG Deshabandu Tennekoon from a friend living abroad…
- Children attending his private classes are abused…
- Suspect had dressed children in popular girl’s school uniforms before abusing them …
- Suspect had also uploaded abuse videos to the internet…
A special police team has arrested a person who was working as a set designer for children’s reality shows on several popular TV channels last night (25). He had allegedly secretly been abusing children and videotape them to upload them to the internet. The team which made the arrest is led by OIC of the Matara Police Children and Women’s Bureau Waruni Bogahawatte.
The suspect background designer was arrested at his residence in Pannipitiya last night (25).The police team was also able to find a large number of videos containing child abuse. Police investigations have revealed that the man was also an English tutor and that although he taught English to children, he had no proper knowledge of the subject.
Preliminary information regarding the arrest of this suspect was obtained by Senior DIG in charge of the Western Province Deshabandu Tennekoon through an overseas friend. The investigation had then commenced on the orders of Acting IGP C.D Wickramaratne. Waruni Bogahawatta had been summoned to Colombo to carry out the investigation while based at the Colpetty Police Station.
The suspect, the Police revealed had abused girls as well as boys and a large number of videos have been found from his residence. Investigations have also revealed that he had abused children who had attended his tuition class. Investigations have revealed that he first dressed the children in school uniforms and then videotaped the abuse.
Police also found uniforms similar to the uniforms of several leading schools in the country and a number of school badges at the suspect’s house. It is said that before abusing the children, he had affixed the badges of each of these schools on the school uniforms of the children in a bid to present them as children of the main schools. It has been identified that the abused children are from Piliyandala, Pannipitiya and Maharagama areas. Investigations have revealed that the man is around 45 years old and lives separately from his wife.
During interrogation, the suspect stated that he had not posted any video of himself with the children on the internet.The suspect had told police that a pen drive containing a number of videos in his possession had gone missing and that someone who had found the pen drive had posted it on the internet. However, a senior police official said that it was unbelievable and that an extensive investigation was underway.
It has been revealed that this person goes to homes and conducts tuition classes in groups and also conducts small group classes at his home in Pannipitiya. It has also been revealed that he had videotaped abusing the children who came to him for education at his residence.
