The former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon, who appeared before the Matara Magistrate’s Court this morning, has been ordered remanded until tomorrow (20) by the court.

Tennakoon had surrendered to the Matara Magistrate’s Court earlier today after evading arrest for nearly 20 days. 

The Matara Magistrate’s Court had previously ordered the arrest of eight police officers including former officers of the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) and former IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon, and named 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 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. Subsequently, the Court of Appeal ordered the CID to take immediate steps to arrest and present Tennakoon before the court.

Meanwhile, Tennakoon’s legal representative submitted a motion yesterday to the Court of Appeal regarding the petition, requesting permission to submit additional documents related to the case. This motion was filed ahead of the appeal decision on his writ petition.

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 a hotel in Weligama. In this regard, the AG issued a special notice on March 16 regarding the order to arrest Tennakoon and six other suspects in connection with the incident.

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

Meanwhile, following former IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon’s appearance before the court this morning, the case regarding the 2023 shooting near the W15 Hotel in Weligama was taken up before the Matara Magistrate’s Court through a motion this afternoon.