Bandagiriya Gayashan who went to hide in houses of 3 relatives ... given the boot!

Bandagiriya Gayashan who went to hide in houses of 3 relatives ... given the boot!

After Gayashan of Bandagiriya who was taken into police custody with news spreading that he was missing was some days later located by police while in hiding and ultimately he surrendered to Colombo Police Headquarters. In the process an inquiry is underway in relation to his family members and relations for having led the police as well as the public astray by providing false

information about him.

It has accordingly been revealed by the police that the boy had after fleeing from the grasp of the police had been spending his time in the homes of 3 relatives in Beliatta, Kambussawala and Weeraketiya for a period of 10 long days and on the fourth occasion had finally reported to police through the aid of a monk.

Rathnappulige Siriyawathi, a punchi amma of Gayashan in whose home at Kapugampotha in Weeraketiya where he initially found lodging had this to say: "On the morning of the day that Gayashan scooted away from police I had gone to the pola. It was only in the evening that I returned home. When I came home the boy was there. I don't know of those incidents. Because he comes on other days also I waited. Towards evening Gayashan's elder sister Nimali spoke to me and asked whether Gayashan came. I asked what the problem was. She said that he had a misunderstanding with the home people and had left home. I didn't know of a police story that time. After two days this issue came up in the news. After that Gayashan's elder brother at the STF and his other elder brother came to our house. I then said that if any problem has occured it's not good for him to stay here and to hand him over. After that they escorted him in the morning".

At a time when the whole country was perturbed, Gayashan had chosen as his next place of lodging with his two brothers involved, another relative's home at Kambussawala in Beliatta. What the householder told police was that when Gayashan came there he was not in the house and that the boy had come to the house when he had gone for a job in Kataragama area. The householder's wife Mrs. Sumana had this to say: "This child is my sister-in-law's son. The child came to our place. I gave him to eat also. When staying at our place for a couple of days I asked him why he was staying at our place. He kept silent. When I saw over the TV I knew that it is this child. I asked him to go. But he didn't go. I told him in a harsh voice to go without putting us in trouble. Later my husband took him away".

In this manner the young boy Gayashan who left from the home in Kambussawala, Beliatta later goes to a home of one of his father's younger brothers in Dedduwawala in Beliatta. That was the last station where he took refuge. Gayashan who thus managed to find lodging for 10 days this way had finally gone to Deegavalukarama Vihara in Dikwella. He then submitted himself to police through Ambakolawewa Buddhika Thera.

Wide-scale investigations were launched by the police regarding the missing youth from Hambantota based on statement released across the media by the relatives that the boy must have died because of police assault. Even Human Rights organisations started searching for information related to this incident. The genuine truth on the other hand is that relatives of Gayashan's family had publicised to the police as well as the media that the suspect youth had disappeared that way by coining a fake story hiding the true facts in order to protect the child. Under such circumstances the police are expected to take legal action in this respect in future.