The four-member committee of Judicial Medical Consultants unanimously ruled that the death of Ranga Rajapaksa, who served as an Assistant Director of the Finance Ministry’s External Resources Department, was caused due to self-inflicted cuts, said the chair of the panel JMO Dr. Ilangaratne Banda. 

He said this while giving evidence before Kuliyapitiya Magistrate Mihil Chiranthana Satharasinghe today (03).

Ranga Rajapaksa had been interdicted in connection with the alleged theft of USD 2.5 million in funds belonging to the Ministry of Finance allegedly due to a cyber attack.

During previous court proceedings, a group of individuals including the deceased’s wife and daughter, had also provided evidence before the court.

Meanwhile, evidence was recorded today from several investigators including the JMO Dr. Ilangaratne Banda, HQI Chief Inspector Kamal Ratnayake, the Police Sergeant in charge of the police dog involved in the investigation.

During the hearing, Senior Deputy Inspector General (SDIG) of Police in charge of the North-West Province, Attorney-at-Law Ajith Rohana, who conducted the examination of evidence also inquired about the medical background concerning the cuts observed in the deceased’s body and the ‘Balanahara’ (arteries).

Responding to the query, the JMO Ilangaratne stated that the term referred to as ‘Balanahara’ is not recognized in Western medical science, adding that he had also discussed the matter with professors of Ayurvedic medicine.

He further stated that the four Judicial Medical Consultants who conducted the special autopsy by performing a highly meticulous dissection of the body determined that the injuries were self-inflicted and that death was caused due to shock caused by excessive loss of blood.

During the examination of evidence, the JMP identified the deceased’s clothing, sandals, and the knife allegedly used to inflict the injuries, while photographs of the injuries were placed under the court custody.

Meanwhile, SDIG Ajith Rohana, requested the court to issue an order in accordance with Section 30 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, taking into account the position of the Government Analyst’s report once it is received.

Taking the facts into consideration, the Kuliyapitiya Magistrate ordered the case to be taken up again on June 12.