Horana Acting Magistrate Manel Gunathilaka ordered that the husband and wife who were arrested for providing accommodation to the fugitive ‘Booru Moona’ who escaped while in the custody of the Katunayake Airport Police, be remanded until March 20 after being produced at the Horana Court.
The couple named Kappitha Devage Lakshan Chamara Mendis (36) and his wife Herath Mudiyanselage Rupika Nilakshi Herath (32) of residents of Millaniya Gungamuwa Bellantudawa were remanded.
In addition, the magistrate gave permission to the police to obtain records of accounts maintained in several banks in Aluthgama and Balapitiya in the name of the suspect couple.
‘Booru Moona’ had gone to the Katunayake Airport on February 24 and had been arrested by immigration officers and handed over to the airport police when he was attempting to fly to
Dubai under the false name of Koralage Kankanamlage Ravindu Warna Ranga.
Along with the arrest of the suspect named ‘Booru Moona,’ the suspect couple had disappeared from their house at Millaniya Gungamuwa Malwatta Road along with all family members.
The person named ‘Booru Moona’ had been identified as the shooter by the Western Province Southern District Crime Division which investigated the incident of shooting and killing of the
owner of a restaurant at Hanwella on December 18 in 2022.
According to information received that the shooter was preparing to leave the country under a false name, the police handed over a travel ban obtained from the Avissawella Court, to the immigration officials at the Katunayake airport on January 3.
Based on a tip-off received by the Police Special Task Force in connection with the suspect couple, they were arrested day before yesterday night while hiding in a hotel in Nuwara Eliya.
The suspect couple was produced in court by Chandrasiri, Sub-Inspector of Southern District Crime Division of Western Province under several charges of sheltering, hiding and providing
accommodation to a suspect involved in a murder to prevent his legal arrest.
Further investigations are being conducted by a team of police officers including the Officer-In- Charge of the Western Province Southern District Crime Division Police Inspector Sumith
Jayasinghe, and Inspector of Police Hemantha Kumara.