CID says Police and TID tried to destroy evidence of Lasantha’s killing

• Investigators record statements from over 950 people including 295 army intelligence officers 

 By T. Farook Thajudeeen

The CID told the Mount Lavinia Magistrate that their investigations into the killing of journalist Lasantha Wickramatunge had uncovered an alleged attempt by the Mount Lavinia Police and the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) to destroy vital evidence of the killing,

They said that the investigations conducted by the Mount Lavinia Police and the TID during that time had not been to identify the killers but rather to protect them. The CID, filing a report before Mount Lavinia Magistrate Mohamed Mihail, made this disclosure yesterday,

The report submitted by the CID had revealed that on the day before Wickrematunge’s killing an intelligence officer from the Maradana Tripoli Market Army Intelligence Unit had trailed Wickrematunge’s vehicle. The CID said that during their investigation into the case from March 2015 they had recorded statements from more than 950 persons, among whom were 295 army intelligence officers. The CID had initiated further investigations to identify the mobile number of the intelligence officer who had followed Wickrematunge’s vehicle on the day before his killing. A further inquiry was postponed for 15 March.