Three imprisoned over Rajiv Gandhi killing arrive after 33 years from India

Three Sri Lankans accused of assassinating former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on May 21, 1991 and sentenced to 33 years in prison, arrived in Sri Lanka yesterday. Upon their arrival at Katunayake Airport yesterday afternoon, officers from the Airport Unit of the Criminal Investigation Department recorded their statements before being allowed entry.

The deportees, 62-year-old Shanmugalingam Jayakumar, 53-year-old Ventrivel Sri Karan alias Murugan, and 53-year-old Balasundaram Robert Payas, were accompanied by an Indian lawyer. They landed at Katunayake airport around 11.03 am on SriLankan Airlines flight UL-122 from Chennai.

They were issued temporary passports for their return to Sri Lanka. After serving their 33-year sentences for their involvement in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, they were released on November 11, 2022. Subsequently, they were detained in a special camp in Trichinapoli, Tamil Nadu, before being deported to Sri Lanka.

Upon disembarking from the plane, they were taken into custody by officials from the Department of Immigration and Emigration and then handed over to the Katunayake Airport unit of the Criminal Investigation Department for further investigations.

They were released at around 5.15 p.m. yesterday by the CID after recording a lengthy statement.

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