Mr. Udaya Shantha has complained to police that certain men who had come in a white van had tried to kidnap him near Umagiliya Stadium in Kolonnawa yesterday (Mar. 10), and that one of them had fired at him.
However, media director of the Army Brig. G.V. Ravipriya said it was a group of soldiers who had come to the location and parked their van near the Wellampitiya clock tower.
A certain group had got involved in an argument with the soldiers, who had been unarmed at the time, said Brig. Ravipriya.
The dispute was settled and the soldiers were taken to the police and freed later at night, according to the media director of the Army.
Meanwhile, OIC of Wellampitiya police, Inspector S.A. Samaranayake has been posted to the Police Field Headquarters on a service requirement, said the Police Headquarters in a statement.
The statement said the incident involving the Kolonnawa UC chairman and the OIC’s transfer are unrelated.
Wellampitiya police arrested the four soldiers on a tip-off, and the UC chairman complained to police about an attempt to abduct him
SLM