An ex-LTTE member was arrested in connection with Friday’s murder of two Police constables in Batticaloa.
The suspect is a rehabilitated ex-cadre, Rasanayagam Sarvananthan. He is a 48-year-old resident of Hudson Road, Vattakachchi, Kilinochchi, Police said.
He was taken into custody on Saturday (01) and handed over to the CID for investigation.
It is reported that the killing of the two Policemen was in retaliation for not allowing a Mahavir commemoration to take place in Vavunativu, where loudspeakers were to be used to commemorate Velupillai Prabhakaran, when the area’s police OIC arrived and halted it.
“However, the suspect and the others later lit lamps and held their commemoration,” reports say. The suspect is said to have been a member of the LTTE from his childhood, according to investigations.
The two murdered Constables Niroshan Indika Prasanna and Ganesh Dinesh have been posthumously promoted to the rank of sergeants.
Meanwhile, reports also indicated that a protest was staged yesterday in Batticaloa, opposite the clock tower against the killing of the two policemen. Another protest was also scheduled to take place last evening by the ex-LTTE cadres.
Unconfirmed reports also stated that a search operation was being conducted in the Vavunathivu lagoon area and several youths were taken in for questioning by the Police.