SRI LANKA: FOUR POLICE OFFICERS SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDER

February 22, 2023:

The Hambantota High Court on 15 February 2023 sentenced to death four Police officers, including an Officer-in-Charge (OIC) over the death of an individual during a raid on a gambling den in Thissamaharamaya.
The court was informed that a group of Police officers attached to the Crimes Division of the Thissamaharama Police Station had carried out the raid during which they had shot and killed an individual.
The incident is reported to have taken place on 28 June 2005.
The death sentence was imposed on the four accused, Officer-In-Charge of the Crimes Division of the Hungama Police, 58-year-old Inspector, Aranwala Gamage Upul, a resident of Ridiyagama, Ambalantota, retired Police Constable, resident at Tissamaharama, Jayanthi Vasage Susil Jayabandu (63), 51-year-old Sarambage Cyril, a resident of Dammulla Beliatta, a police constable attached to the State Intelligence Service at the Hambantota Port Police and 46-year-old Pathiraja Mudianselage Ranjith Susantha, who was a police constable of the Tissamaharama Police at that time and has currently been dismissed, residing at the address Ambanpola, Mahadivulwewa.
The four accused had launched an operation on 28 June 2005 in the Matarawatte, Debarawewa, Tissamaharama area to take into custody a suspect in connection with three robberies.
They had raided the house of the suspect at about midnight, located in Matarawatte, Debarawewa and taken him into custody, brought him out of his resident and then told the suspect to run and shot him. This had been revealed during initial police investigations. The suspect who was killed in the police shooting was Lokuhennadige Amila Mahesh of Matarawatte, Debarawewa.
It is the first time in the history of Sri Lanka that four police officers have been sentenced to death at the same time.
The plaintiff was represented by State Counsel Nimanka Jayawickrema on behalf of the Attorney General.