The Criminal Investigation Department is preparing to launch a comprehensive operation in the future to identify the details of hundreds of politicians, police officers, Immigration and Emigration Department officials, hired killers and others involved in the underworld network of Kehelbaddara Padme, Commando Salintha or Pittuwa, Panadure Nilanga, Backo Saman and Tambari Lahiru, who were arrested in Indonesia.
The Criminal Investigation Department has been able to identify this network of underworld criminals because the Indonesian police have handed over to the country the mobile phones, laptops and other equipment found in their possession when they were arrested in Indonesia.
Previously, the country had not received the mobile phones used by many criminals who were arrested abroad and deported to the country. Therefore, it became a difficult task to identify the underworld criminals’ network in this country. However, since the mobile phones of all these underworld criminals were handed over to this country with them, a senior police officer said that it will be possible to reveal a lot of hidden information about the people who have been in contact with these criminals and who have been aiding and abetting their crimes, as well as their drug network.
The five underworld criminals, including Kehelbaddara Padme, had been abroad and had carried out many shootings and murders. The police believe that it will be possible to reveal even the hidden characters who provided information for each of those murders and shootings.
When the criminals including Kehelbaddara Padme were arrested in Indonesia, they were in possession of foreign passports prepared under fake names. The two Assistant Superintendents of Police who went to Indonesia from this country to arrest them had taken these foreign passports into their custody. The Sri Lankan embassy in the country even took steps to prepare temporary passports in their real names to bring them to the country. The Criminal Investigation Department currently has the passports prepared in their fake names. They prepared those passports while they were abroad. The Criminal Investigation Department believes that they have spent a lot of money for that and that they have received the support of corrupt officials of the Immigration and Emigration Department. A senior police officer also stated that the law will be enforced against those people who were directly or indirectly involved in preparing those passports.
The operation to capture and arrest Kehelbaddara Padme and his group was carried out in great secrecy with the assistance of two local police officers. Despite this, it is said that Kehelbaddara Padme and his group came to know about the operation on the last day. The senior police officer said that investigations are being conducted with special attention being paid to that regard. The Criminal Investigation Department is preparing to uncover through investigations how the criminals including Kehelbaddara Padme have been able to launder money from the drug network so far, as well as information about the network in Sri Lanka related to it. The intelligence agencies are also paying special attention to a business group that is engaged in legal and illegal business between Dubai and Sri Lanka.
The Indonesian authorities had expressed their willingness to provide a team of 12 Indonesian police to bring the arrested criminals including Kehelbaddara Padme to Sri Lanka the day before yesterday (31). However, in view of the unexpected conflict situation in Indonesia, the Ministry of Public Security had taken the necessary steps to send three officers from Sri Lanka to Indonesia on the morning of the 31st.
Accordingly, the three officers, the two Assistant Superintendents of Police who were involved in the operation and the seven Indonesian police officers who were staying in the country, took steps to bring these criminals to this country. Such a large group of officers had to be deployed to bring these five underworld criminals by following the international security measures that should be followed when bringing such criminals by air.
These criminals were brought by the local police team including the Indonesian police officers dressed in civilian clothes. It is also noteworthy that during the journey, none of the other passengers on the plane knew that a group of criminals were being brought on board.
After the aircraft landed at the Katunayake International Airport and the other passengers disembarked, a team of officers including Senior DIG Attorney-at-Law Asanka Karawita of the Criminal Investigation Department boarded the aircraft and took steps to arrest the suspects in the country. They were then safely escorted out of the airport and taken to the investigation units. 37-year-old K.G. Mandinu Padmasiri Perera alias Kehelbaddara Padme, a resident of 18/08, Ihala Kumbura, Udugampola, has been handed over to the Commercial Crimes Investigation Division (III) of the Criminal Investigation Department for investigation.
The Criminal Investigation Department states that this criminal is currently facing charges for a number of crimes, including directing murders using illegal firearms, committing organized crimes including drugs, threatening to kill family members of police officers, and planning the crime of murdering Ganemulla Sanjeewa at the No. 05 Magistrate’s Court in Aluthkade, Colombo on February 19 and terrorizing the judge and staff. 38-year-old P. Shalintha Madushan Perera, alias Commando Shalintha, a resident of No. 24, New Town House, Imbulgaswadiyawatta, Deman Junction, Katana, has been handed over to the Commercial Crimes Investigation Division (I) of the Criminal Investigation Department for investigation. This suspect has been arrested in connection with a number of crimes including gruesome murders, large-scale drug trafficking, robberies, extortions, kidnappings and other crimes that have taken place in various parts of the island in the past.
36-year-old P. Nilanga Sampath Silva, a resident of No. 09/E Alubogahawatta, Cemetery Road, Pinwala, Panadura, who worked as an air conditioner technician by profession and later turned to underworld crimes, has been handed over to the Special Investigation Division (III) of the Criminal Investigation Department for investigation.
The other two suspects who were among the underworld criminals brought to the country from Indonesia have been handed over to the Northern District Crime Division of the Western Province for investigation. 35-year-old N.N. Prasanga alias Backo Samantha and 29-year-old P.K. Lahiru Madhusankha alias Tambari Lahiru, a resident of No. 119/01,A, Kudagalara Middeniya, have been handed over to the Western Province Northern Crime Division.
The police stated that the two suspects have been detained at the Colombo Port Police Station for increased security considering the prison facilities of the Western Province Northern Crime Division.
A senior police officer said that a 72-hour detention order has been obtained for these five criminals and that they will be detained for 90 days as per the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
Gayan Kumara Weerasinghe