Secretary of the National Police Commission Saman Dissanayake has been arrested by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) in connection with the Avant-Garde floating armoury case.

The NPC Secretary was reportedly arrested while he was at the Sri Jayawardenapura Hospital.

The Colombo Fort Magistrate yesterday rejected the anticipatory bail application filed by Dissanayake, requesting to release him on bail if he was arrested over the Avant-Garde floating armoury case.

Magistrate Ranga Dissanayake said that the court has no jurisdiction to grant bail to Dissanayake, who was named as a suspect in the Avant-Garde floating armoury case, as indictments are to be filed against him under the Firearms Ordinance.

On July 05, the Attorney General had instructed the Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) to immediately arrest Chairman of Avant-Garde Maritime Services (Pvt) Ltd Nissanka Senadhipathi and 7 others including the secretary of the NPC. 

The Acting IGP was further instructed to file charges against them under the Firearms Ordinance and to produce them before the court.

The Acting IGP has later directed the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to act on the instructions of the Attorney General.

On the 8th of July, the secretary of the NPC had filed an anticipatory bail order seeking the Colombo Fort Magistrate to release him on bail if the CID arrests him over the Avant-Garde floating armoury case.