Two retired female petty officers of the Sri Lanka Navy have been remanded until October 5 in connection with the abduction and disappearance of two women in Trincomalee during the war.
The two women, arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), were produced before Trincomalee Chief Magistrate M.S.M. Samsudeen, who ordered them to be remanded. The Magistrate also ordered that the two be presented for an identification parade on October 5.
The two retired officers were arrested while appearing before the CID in connection with a separate court case. They are residents of the Chilaw and Haputale areas. This investigation concerns the abduction of two women—Sasikumar Thenmoli and Mary Delsiya, residents of the Palayuttu area in Trincomalee—on or around May 13, 2008.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has informed the court that investigations revealed the two women were detained at an underground facility known as the “Gun Site” within the Trincomalee Naval Base while the suspects were on active duty.
This facility was reportedly operated by a “Special Intelligence Unit” that functioned independently of the official Naval Intelligence Unit and operated under the command of Commander D.K.P. Dassanayake.