Venerable Saddharathana Thero of Rajanganaya has been arrested by the Central Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) on charges of threatening and insulting Minister of Public Security Ananda Wijepala and Inspector General of Police Priyantha Weerasuriya via social media.
The Ramanna Nikaya Karaka Sangha Sabha had previously taken disciplinary action against him, expelling him from the Sangha last year.
Following his arrest, statements are currently being recorded from Venerable Saddharathana Thero. He is due to be produced before court for further investigations.
Providing further details, police stated that they had conducted an extensive investigation over a period of time into statements made by the Thero on a YouTube channel and other social media platforms. Investigations confirmed that several video clips published on these platforms contained comments that interfered with the official duties of the IGP and other senior officers and also damaged their personal reputations.
Accordingly, after subjecting the relevant video content and statements to legal analysis, the Central Crime Investigation Bureau proceeded with the arrest.