Borella Traffic OIC’s hit-and-run death: Driver of Defender granted bail

Navindu Umesh Ratnayake, the driver of the Defender involved in the road accident that caused the death of the Traffic OIC of the Borella Police has been released on bail.

When the case was taken up before the Colombo High Court yesterday (05), the defendant was ordered to be released under a personal bail of Rs 200,000.

The High Court Judge Pradeep Hettiarachchi subsequently ordered to take up the case on the 19th of December.

The accident took place at around 4.30 a.m. on February 24 at Dupli-Bullers Junction where Bullers Road connects to the Duplication Road at Bambalapitiya.

A Land Rover Defender jeep had been proceeding along the Duplication Road towards Wellawatte from the direction of Kollupitiya while it had been closely followed by a Toyota Land Cruiser jeep.

The Land Rover Defender had been travelling at an excessive speed towards Wellawatte apparently when the red lights were flashing in the traffic signal post.

The deceased, IP Ananda Sagara Sarathchandra, and his motorcycle were knocked down by the Defender driven by the first suspect at the intersection while the Defender had thereafter gone over the body of the victims.

However, the Defender and the Land Cruiser had fled the scene without taking steps to either to take the injured to the hospital or to report the incident to the police.

The injured was taken to the hospital by a police officer who rushed to the scene soon after the incident with the aid of another person.  The victim succumbed to injuries on March 09.