Divulapitiya Police who arrested an innocent man because of lady who suspected him ... had murdered him!

Divulapitiya Police who arrested an innocent man because of lady who suspected him ... had murdered him!

A 50 year old man named Gamini Edward living in Minuwangoda area after having been taken into custody by police had become fatal because of being assaulted and had finally passed away.

The said deceased was someone who was employed as a watcher in the house of a wealthy family and due to an incident where some valuable items in the house had disappeared, the lady of the house had complained to the police and had given a statement saying that she suspects this watcher in

relation to the robbery. Under this suspicion the police had visited Gamini Edward's house and had arrested him and had compelled him to accept guilt to the offence. Even after having refused to get involved in an offence which he has not committed, the police officers after having  arrested had remanded him and had subsequently kept assaulting him from time to time forcing him to admit guilt to the offence, it is reported.

Having taken him into custody on the 2nd he was then produced before Minuwangoda Magistrate Court on the 3rd and he was instructed to be remanded until next 10th by courts. However on assaults made on him he was  admitted to hospital with fatal injuries, where he had passed away. The attorneys-at-law who appeared on his behalf at the time he was produced in courts have informed the judge that the suspect had been assaulted.

After this incident public antipathy was launched against Divulapitiya Police. In the process the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Western Province has issued instructions to the effect that  3 officers including the officer-in-charge of the Crime Division there, to be transferred.

Deceased Gamini had been treated at hospital; however as his condition was not satisfactory the prison doctor has instructed that he be immediately admitted to Negombo Hospital. As such though he was dispatched to Negombo Hospital, it was found that the patient had already died, hospital sources say.

What the daughter of the deceased says is that her father had said before his death that the police had forced him to accept guilt to having been involved in the offence concerned. ... assaulting him in the process. Acting Magistrate of Negombo, Mr. Shantha Miliella who inspected the dead body lying at the mortuary ordered that a postmortem be conducted on the body to ascertain the reason for death and to report to the courts next 10th.  Mr. Rahul Haq, Judicial Medical Officer of Negombo Hospital deduced that there were multiple internal injuries on the body of the deceased suspect.