Two Retired Navy women officers remanded over 2008 Trinco disappearance case

Two retired female petty officers of the Sri Lanka Navy have been remanded until October 5 over their alleged involvement in the abduction and disappearance of two women in Trincomalee during the war.

Trincomalee Chief Magistrate M.S.M. Samsudeen ordered the two suspects to be remanded and directed that they be produced for an identification parade on October 5.

The retired officers, who are residents of Chilaw and Haputale, were arrested when they appeared before the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in connection with another court case. They were subsequently produced before the Trincomalee court.

The investigation relates to the alleged abduction of two women identified as Sasikumar Thenmoli and Mary Delsia, residents of the Paalaiyootru area in Trincomalee, on or around May 13, 2008.

According to reports, the CID has informed the court that information uncovered during investigations indicates that the two women were allegedly detained at an underground location known as “Gun Site” within the Trincomalee Naval Base while the two suspects were in active service. The women were subsequently reported missing.

The “Gun Site” is reported to have been an underground detention facility located within the Trincomalee Naval Base, which houses the Eastern Naval Command and the Sri Lanka Navy Dockyard.

The site reportedly takes its name from an old gun emplacement situated on a small hill and contains colonial-era structures, including underground cells that receive no natural light.

It has been alleged that the location was used as an unauthorised detention facility. Former Navy Commander Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne reportedly acknowledged during a CID investigation in 2025 that the location was not a legally recognised prison.

The facility was reportedly operated by a “Special Intelligence Unit” that was separate from the official Naval Intelligence unit and was allegedly under the command of Commander D.K.P. Dassanayake.

Witnesses have also reportedly told investigators that white vans were used to transport detainees to the facility and that the vehicles were not registered at the entrance to the naval base.

Further investigations into the alleged abduction and disappearance are continuing. (Newswire)

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