Missing Hut Thilak returns home

Mervyn's man thought to have been kidnapped ... has come to his Malabe house in dawn

    Thilak, supposed to be a close comrade of Minister of Public Co-ordination Mr. Mervyn Silva who was a businessman had been missing from yesterday; but it is understood that he had returned to his Malabe home at 1.30 in the morning.

    He had thus returned home in the company of his bodyguard who had been missing. His vehicle was found abandoned yesterday and according to police inquiry it was suspected that he had actually been kidnapped. But after he returned home what really happened to him has still not been disclosed. Even at the time he was missing, Thilak alias Thilakasiri had been keeping visiting cards with him which identified him as a Co-ordinating Secretary of Mr. Mervyn Silva and after he was  found missing, what the Minister said was that Thilak was not someone who was holding such a position but that hewas only an intimate friend of his. This person who was a strong activist of the organisation known as 'Pibidena Kelani' was also known to others by the names of 'Kiribathgoda Thilak', 'Hut Thilak' and and 'Booruwa Thilak'.

    After having visited a casino spot  with another person for the purpose of playing casino and was coming home from there in the early hours of yesterday had disappeared on D.R. Wijewardena Mawatha. The luxury jeep was found by the police after it had been abandoned. Thilak's wife making a statement said that from day-before-yesterday evening he had not been in the house.

   When a conflict arose sometime back between Minister Mervyn Silva and PC members including the chairman of the provincial council of Kelaniya, it was publicly mentioned that an intimate comrade of the Minister known as Thilak had been moving around in the area armed with a weapon, collecting 'kappam' from businessman in the area and also traders in the Kiribathgoda market on a big scale.

   The PC members also complained that apart from taking 'kappam', the allegation that for quite sometime he had been operating a gambling den of playing cards for money which made them give him the pseudonym 'booruwa Thilak' in order to identify him.
 
   Last morning the Maradana police were able to find the Montero jeep which was driven by Thilak parked near the Wasana Medura and they had also discovered the switch key of the vehicle and 2 mobile phones suspected to have been used by him in addition to visiting cards which gave the impression that he was a Co-ordinating Secretary of Minister Mervyn Silva, within the vehicle. Those who rendered support to Mr. Mervyn Silva's affairs and keeping in touch with him were physically strong characters by the names of Singapore Sarath, Hut Thilak and a few others.

   Singapore Sarath had been taken into custody as a suspect in the murder case of PC member Hasitha Madawala of the Kelaniya provincial council. Later he became a State witness and was released. Police information says that the person known as Hut Thilak had as a habit frequented a casino centre in Colombo - Fort and was used to betting activities.

   Though he had on that day after playing casino travelling in his motor vehicle he had suddenly disappeared. However, it is now suspected that he had returned after settling some sort of internal dispute.

   After yesterday's incident, Minister Mervyn Silva had on two occasions expressed his ideas to the media asking the media not to display headlines in newspapers ... and that this person concerned was not a Co-ordinating Secretary of his ... but only a colleague. This person known as Hut Thilak was supplying huts for festivals as a form of business and possesses a luxury house and has the support of bodyguards as well in his house in Malabe.