Death sentence for Vass, son and 5 others over murder of businessmen

Six suspects including former DIG Vass Gunawardena and his son Ravindu were yesterday sentenced to death after being found guilty for the abduction and murder of businessman Mohamed Siyam in 2013, by the Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar. 

The verdict of the high-profile case was delivered by the Trial-at-Bar comprising Colombo High Court Judge Lalith Jayasuriya (President), Colombo High Court Judge KusalaSarojiniWeerawardena and Colombo High Court Judge Amendra Seneviratne.

Former DIG of Police Vass Gunawardena, his son Ravindu Gunawardena and four other Police officers were indicted for murder and also indicted of the conspiracy to murder.

The four Police officers were named as KelumRangana Dissanayake, LakminaIndikaBamunusinghe, GaminiSanathchandra and Priyantha Sanjeewa.

Bambalapitiya-based businessman Mohamed Siyam was abducted and murdered in the Dompe area on 22 May, 2013.

The court found deputy inspector general Vaas Gunawardena guilty of killing Shiyam in return for Rs. 10 million from a business rival, making him the highest ranking officer to be convicted of murder.

The senior officer’s role was only discovered when CCTV footage showed Shiyam being taken away in a vehicle driven by Gunawardena’s son Ravindu.

Following investigations conducted into the incident, the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) on 6 June arrested Sub-Inspector Lakmini Bamunusinghe, attached to the office of the DIG Western Province (North), along with three Police Constables (PCs) serving in the DIG’s special unit.

Upon interrogating the arrested Police officers, the CID uncovered information regarding the former DIG’s alleged involvement in the businessman’s murder and recorded a statement from Vaas Gunawardena on the same day. 

He was arrested by the CID on 10 June and remanded by the Colombo Additional Magistrate. Thereafter he was interdicted by the Police on 18 June.