Harak Kata Stays Behind Bars – Zoom Courtroom Drama

The saga of notorious underworld figure Nadun Chinthaka, better known by his street name “Harak Kata,” took yet another twist at the Colombo High Court today.

The Attorney General’s Department revealed that the Secretary of Defence has signed off on an extension of his detention order under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), citing “serious security concerns.” In other words – Harak Kata isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

But this was no ordinary court appearance. Instead of being marched into the dock, the feared gangster beamed in via Zoom, a digital ghost in chains, while lawyers, officials and journalists watched every flicker on screen. The judge calmly postponed the matter to September 24, but the tension in the virtual courtroom was anything but calm.

Harak Kata’s tale reads like the script of a gritty crime drama. Snatched in Madagascar on March 1, 2023, through a rare joint operation between INTERPOL, Malagasy law enforcement and Customs officers, he was triumphantly flown back to Colombo on March 8.

But the underworld doesn’t sleep. Just months later, in September 2023, he pulled off a daring – though ultimately botched – escape attempt from the CID headquarters, allegedly aided by rogue police officers. The fiasco shook the security establishment and left officials red-faced.

Now, more than a year later, the State isn’t taking chances. The extended PTA detention means Harak Kata will remain in the shadows, locked away, until the full trial unfolds.

 Who really helped him in that failed jailbreak? How far does his underworld web stretch inside officialdom? And with the next hearing set for late September, will the courtroom once again feel more like a crime thriller than a legal proceeding?

One thing is certain: the legend of Harak Kata, the gangster who keeps testing the state, is far from over.