The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has informed the court that State Minister of Women and Child Affairs, Vijayakala Maheswaran had not in fact ordered the release of the chief suspect of Sivaloganathan Vidya’s murder case, Mahalingam Shashi Kumar.

The CID yesterday (22) informed the Kayts Magistrate, Judge A. M. M. Riyal that Vijayakala Maheswaran had instructed that the chief suspect Mahalingam Shashi Kumar, alias ‘Swiss’ Kumar, be arrested when he was captured and beaten by local residents, and subsequently tied to an electricity transmission tower.

According to the CID, the State Minister had only been informed of the suspect’s release the following day.

Presenting the report of the investigation, the CID also stated that the State Minister had provided the Kayts Police with information obtained from local residents in the wake of the murder of Vidya.

The Attorney General’s Department yesterday (22) informed the Kayts Magistrate that the Court could now take up for consideration the complaint regarding the release of suspect Swiss Kumar.

The CID also informed the Court that a statement had been obtained from Vijayakala Maheswaran.

Sivaloganathan Vidya, an 18-year-old schoolgirl from Punkudutivu, was abducted, gang-raped and murdered in Jaffna, whilst returning home from school on May 13, 2015.

The chief suspect of the murder case, Swiss Kumar, had been captured by local residents and tied to an electricity transmission tower, whereupon he had been released without being handed over to the Police.

The Kayts Magistrate’s Court only July 27 instructed the CID to launch an investigation into the accusations against the State Minister of Women and Child Affairs involving said release of the suspect.