Exhumation of Dinesh Schaffter’s remains in progress

The remains of businessman Dinesh Schaffter, whose death remains a suspicion, are being exhumed today (May 25) at the General Cemetery in Borella.

The exhumation process is carried out under judicial supervision and armed security.

The Janashakthi Group of Companies Director was found tied up in his car at the General Cemetery in Borella on December 15, 2022 and died a day later while receiving treatment at the ICU of the National Hospital in Colombo.

On May 19, the five-member committee of judicial and forensic medical experts appointed to uncover the actual cause behind the death of the reputed businessman requested the Colombo Magistrate’s Court to issue an order allowing the exhumation of the body of the deceased.

In a written request to the court, the committee had explained to the Colombo Additional Magistrate that in order to determine the cause behind the death of the former Janashakthi PLC Director, who was found tied up in the driving seat of his car at the Borella cemetery on 15 December 2022.

On February 17, the Colombo Additional Magistrate ordered the appointment of a five-member expert committee to compile a report on Schaffter’s death, and called for a list of senior Judicial Medical Officers (JMOs) from the Director General of Health Services, while the University Grants Commission (UGC) was also ordered to submit a list of senior university lecturers who specialize in forensic medicine.

Upon receiving the two lists, an experts’ committee was appointed to probe the matter as contradictions have been observed in the post-mortem reports.