The former Inspector General of Police (IGP), Deshabandu Tennakoon has been ordered to be further remanded until April 03 by the Matara Magistrate’s Court.

Tennakoon, who was subject to an arrest warrant in connection with a shooting incident near a hotel in the Pelena area of Weligama in 2023, surrendered to the court by submitting a motion yesterday (19), after evading arrest nearly 20 days.

Following his surrender, the Matara Magistrate ordered that he be remanded until today (20). 

In compliance with this order, Tennakoon was transferred to Angunakolapelessa Prison under special security last evening (19), according to prison sources.

The Matara Magistrate’s Court had previously issued an arrest order for eight police officers, including former officers of the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) and former IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon, naming them as suspects in the shooting incident that occurred in front of the W15 Hotel in the Pelena area of Weligama, Matara, on December 31, 2023.

Following this, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) was instructed to arrest and present the eight individuals, including Deshabandu Tennakoon, before the court. 

However, CID teams were unable to locate the former police chief, who had been evading arrest for several days.

On March 17, the Court of Appeal dismissed the writ petition filed by Tennakoon, in which he sought an interim injunction to prevent the execution of the arrest order issued by the Matara Magistrate’s Court in connection with the shooting incident. The Court of Appeal subsequently directed the CID to take immediate steps to arrest Tennakoon and present him before the court.

Additionally, it was reported that an agreement was reached between the Attorney General (AG) and the legal counsel of the suspects implicated in the 2023 shooting incident near the hotel in Weligama. In this regard, the AG issued a special notice on March 16 concerning the order to arrest Tennakoon and six other suspects in connection with the incident.

As per the agreement, the AG instructed the CID not to arrest the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) and five other accused individuals, excluding Tennakoon, who had been absconding and was wanted in connection with the incident.