The murderer of Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) parliamentarian Nadaraja Raviraj has been taken into custody along with another individual allegedly connected with the 2006 assassination of the Tamil politician.
The Sunday Leader learns that the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) has taken into custody the individual who had allegedly assassinated Raviraj as well as the individual who had transported the alleged assassin following the murder.
The two individuals in custody is a Navy Petty Officer names Senevi and a former police constable named Manamperi. According to the investigation, Senevi has been identified as the individual who had carried out the assassination.
Sources from the CID said that the weapon that was used to assassinate Raviraj was initially issued to a former LTTE leader from the East, Pillayan by Colonel Shammi Karunaratne, who is currently detained by the CID over the case in to the disappearance of journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda.
The Sunday Leader learns that the Raviraj murder investigation has revealed that the weapon used for the assassination was handed over to an individual named Charan from Pillayan, who is believed to have handed over the weapon to Senevi.
However, Charan is believed to be overseas and the CID is has sought Interpol assistance to locate and arrest him.
According to CID sources, Senevi had been transported to the scene of the murder on November 10, 2006 in a three wheeler and had been taken to safe house after the assassination by Manamperi in a motorbike.
The CID it is learnt is to arrest several other suspects involved in the murder in the next few weeks.
SL